The Need for Near-Earth Multi-Spacecraft Heliospheric Measurements and an Explorer Mission to Investigate Interplanetary Structures and Transients in the Near-Earth Heliosphere

Based on decades of single-spacecraft measurements near 1 au as well as data from heliospheric and planetary missions, multi-spacecraft simultaneous measurements in the inner heliosphere on separations of 0.05-0.2 au are required to close existing gaps in our knowledge of solar wind structures, transients, and energetic particles, especially coronal mass ejections (CMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs), high speed solar wind streams (HSS), and energetic storm particle (ESP) events. The Mission to Investigate Interplanetary Structures and Transients (MIIST) is a concept for a small multi-spacecraft mission to explore the near-Earth heliosphere on these critical scales. It is designed to advance two goals: (a) to determine the spatiotemporal variations and the variability of solar wind structures, transients, and energetic particle fluxes in near-Earth interplanetary (IP) space, and (b) to advance our fundamental knowledge necessary to improve space weather forecasting from <i>in situ</i> data. We present the scientific rationale for this proposed mission, the science requirements, payload, implementation, and concept of mission operation that address a key gap in our knowledge of IP structures and transients within the cost, launch, and schedule limitations of the NASA Heliophysics Small Explorers program.

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Publication Details

Journal
Space Science Reviews
Published
2024-09-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-024-01108-8
Citations
8
Primary Topic
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.65

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article

The Need for Near-Earth Multi-Spacecraft Heliospheric Measurements and an Explorer Mission to Investigate Interplanetary Structures and Transients in the Near-Earth Heliosphere

Christian Möstl, P. L. Whittlesey, Mark B. Moldwin, L. K. Jian et al.
8 citations
Space Science Reviews
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
2.65
article

The Need for Near-Earth Multi-Spacecraft Heliospheric Measurements and an Explorer Mission to Investigate Interplanetary Structures and Transients in the Near-Earth Heliosphere

Christian Möstl, P. L. Whittlesey, Mark B. Moldwin, L. K. Jian, Bin Zhuang, R. G. French, Erika Palmerio, R. J. Lillis, Miho Janvier, Errol J. Summerlin, Florian Regnault, Daniel Cosgrove, Teresa Nieves‐Chinchilla, E. Zesta, C. W. Smith, R. M. Winslow, Christina O. Lee, Antoinette B. Galvin, Richard Hunter, B. J. Lynch, Noé Lugaz, Camilla Scolini, R. Livi, Rachael Filwett, A. Rahmati, D. E. Larson, Eva Weiler, Robert C. Allen, D. W. Curtis, J D Prall, Federico Covitti, Nada Al-Haddad, Sasha Courtade, Charles J Farrugia
article en
8 citations

Abstract

Based on decades of single-spacecraft measurements near 1 au as well as data from heliospheric and planetary missions, multi-spacecraft simultaneous measurements in the inner heliosphere on separations of 0.05-0.2 au are required to close existing gaps in our knowledge of solar wind structures, transients, and energetic particles, especially coronal mass ejections (CMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs), high speed solar wind streams (HSS), and energetic storm particle (ESP) events. The Mission to Investigate Interplanetary Structures and Transients (MIIST) is a concept for a small multi-spacecraft mission to explore the near-Earth heliosphere on these critical scales. It is designed to advance two goals: (a) to determine the spatiotemporal variations and the variability of solar wind structures, transients, and energetic particle fluxes in near-Earth interplanetary (IP) space, and (b) to advance our fundamental knowledge necessary to improve space weather forecasting from <i>in situ</i> data. We present the scientific rationale for this proposed mission, the science requirements, payload, implementation, and concept of mission operation that address a key gap in our knowledge of IP structures and transients within the cost, launch, and schedule limitations of the NASA Heliophysics Small Explorers program.

Space Science ReviewsVol. 220(7)
Southwest Research Institute (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Planetary Science Institute (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), University of New Hampshire (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Montana State University (US), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), University of Michigan (US), Royal Observatory of Belgium (BE), Heliophysics (US), Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (FR), Predictive Science (United States) (US), GeoSphere Austria, Rockwell Automation (United States) (US), University of California, Berkeley (US)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Commission, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Directorate for Geosciences, NASA Headquarters, H2020 European Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
2.65
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