Using IMAGE Data for Space Weather

J. L. Green, S. F. Fung, R. BurleyGoddard Space Flight Center

J. L. BurchSouthwest Research Institute

W. W. L. TaylorRaytheon STX Corporation

Space Weather WorkshopNOAA Space Environment Center, Boulder, Colorado

February 5-6, 1998

AbstractThe Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) is NASA's firstmedium-sized Explorer mission and is scheduled to be launched in January 2000. Theoverall science objective of IMAGE is to determine the global response of themagnetosphere to changing conditions in the solar wind. The science payload for IMAGEconsists of instrumentation for obtaining images of plasma regions in the Earth'smagnetosphere. The four types of imaging techniques used by IMAGE are: neutral atomimaging (NAI), far ultraviolet imaging (FUV), extreme ultraviolet imaging (EUV), andradio plasma imaging (RPI). The IMAGE instruments will make concurrent global-scaleimages providing researchers with an opportunity to readily observe the structure anddynamics of the plasmasphere, ring current, aurora, geocorona, and the magnetopause on atime scale much less than a substorm interval.

IMAGE has been designed to store and dump it's data at a high rate approximately once per13 hour orbit. In addition, IMAGE has a real-time link (44 kbs) that the NOAA/SpaceEnvironment Center (SEC) will utilize for Space Weather purposes. NASA is developingsoftware that will produce browseable images from each of the IMAGE instruments on anapproximately 4 minute time scale. All the IMAGE mission software will be madeavailable to SEC. The IMAGE mission will provide the space weather community with avaluable and unique set of globe images which may prove to be essential for space weathermodel development and prediction in the 21st century.

Outline

• Team, mission, and instruments

• Data system and data products

• Summary

http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/

IMAGE Team Members

• Principal investigator: Dr. James L. Burch, SwRI

• U.S. Co-Investigators: – Prof. K. C. Hsieh & Dr. B. R. Sandel, University of Arizona

– Dr. J. L. Green & Dr. T. E. Moore, Goddard Space Flight Center

– Dr. S. A. Fuselier, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory

– Drs. S. B. Mende, University of California, Berkeley

– Dr. D. L. Gallagher, Marshall Space Flight Center

– Prof. D. C. Hamilton, University of Maryland

– Prof. B. W. Reinisch, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

– Dr. W. W. L. Taylor, Raytheon STX Corporation

– Prof. P. H. Reiff, Rice University

– Drs. D. T. Young, C. J. Pollack, Southwest Research Institute

– Dr. D. J. McComas, Los Alamos National Laboratory

– Dr. D. G. Mitchell, Applied Physic Labortory, JHU

IMAGE Foreign Co-Is

• Foreign Co-Investigators– Dr. P. Wurz & Prof. P. Bochsler, University of Bern, Switzerland

– Prof. J. S. Murphree, University of Calgary, Canada

– Prof. T. Mukai, ISAS, Japan

– Dr. M. Grande, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, U.K.

– Dr. C. Jamar, University of Liege, Belgium

– Dr. J.-L. Bougeret, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon

– Dr. H. Lauche, Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie

Other Team Members

• Participating Scientist: – Dr. G. R. Wilson, University of Alabama Huntsville

– Drs. A. L. Broadfoot & C. C. Curtis, University of Arizona

– Dr. J. D. Perez, Auburn University

– L. Cogger, University of Calgary, Canada

– Drs. R. F. Benson & S. F. Fung, Goddard Space Flight Center

– Dr. W. Calvert, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

– Drs. A. G. Ghielmetti, Y. T. Chiu, M. Schulz, & E. G. Shelley, Lockheed

– Dr. J. M. Quinn, University of New Hampshire

– Dr. J. Spann, Marshall Space Flight Center

– Prof. J.-C. Gerard, University of Liege, Belgium

– Dr. G. R. Gladstone, Southwest Research Institute

– Dr. D. L. Carpenter, Stanford University

Orbital Characteristics

IMAGE Instruments

• Neutral Atom Imagers– High Energy Neutral Atom (HENA) imagers

– Medium Energy Neutral Atom (MENA) imagers

– Low Energy Neutral Atom (LENA) imagers

• FUV Imagers– Spectrographic Imager (SI)

– Geocorona (GEO) imager

– Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC)

• EUV Imager– Extreme Ultra-Violet (EUV) imager

• Radio Sounder– Radio Plasma Imager (RPI)

Instrument ResolutionsImage Measurement Critical Measurement Requirements

NAI Neutral atom composi-tion and energy-resolvedimages over three energyranges:

10-500 eV (LENA)1-30 keV (MENA)

10-500 keV (HENA)

FOV: 90°x 90° (image ring current at apogee). Angular Resolution: 8°x 8° (LENA), 4°x 8° (MENA), 4°x 4°(HENA), Energy Resolution (Δ / ): E E 0.8

:Composition distinguish H and O in magnetospheric and ionospheric, .sources interstellar neutrals and solar wind

:Image Time 4 ( ).minutes resolve substorm development

: Sensitivity effective area 1 cm2 .for each sensorEUV 30.4 nm imaging of

plasmasphere He+ .column densities

:FOV 90° 90° ( ).x image plasmasphere from apogee : Spatial Resolution0.1 .Earth radius from apogee :Image Time ( several minutes to hours resolve plasmaspheric

).processesFUV Far ultraviolet imaging

of the geocorona at121.6 ( ) nm GEO and the

140-190 aurora at nm( ) 121.6 WIC and and135.6 ( )nm SI

:FOV 15° 15° ( ) ( ),x SI for aurora image full Earth from apogee 1° 360° , 22.4° 30° ( )x for geocorona and x WIC

:Spatial Resolution 70 ( ),90 ( )km WIC km SI : Spectral Resolution separate cold geocorona H from hot proton

(precipitationλ~0.2 121.6 ); 130.4 nm near nm reject nm and select135.6 .nm electron aurora emissions

: Image Time2 minutes ( ).resolve auroral activityRPI Remote sensing of

electron densities andmagnetospheric

boundary locations using .radio sounding

:Density range 0.1-105 cm-3 ( determine electron density from inner ).plasmasphere to magnetopause

:Spatial resolution 500 ( km resolve density structures at the ).magnetopause and plasmapause

:Image Time 1 ( ).minute resolve changes in boundary locations

IMAGE Telemetry Modes

• Store and forward telemetry mode– On-board storage and high rate dump through DSN twice/day (13 hour orbit)

– SMOC receives Level-0 data and generates Level-1 (Browse Product)

– SMOC being developed at Goddard Space Flight Center

– Data products delivered to NSSDC for archiving and community distribution

• Real-Time mode– IMAGE broadcasts all telementry data in a real-time mode

– Data can be received by anyone

– Not routinely use by NASA

• Potential NOAA application– Receive real-time data

– Generate “Space Weather” products

– SMOC L0->L1 product generation software available for NOAA use

Potential IMAGE Space Weather MeasurementsImager Data Product (Level-1) Derived Quantities MSFM InputRPI • Plasmagram

• Echo Map

• F-T Spectrogram (1/orbit)

• Distance to Magnetopause,Plasmapause, Polar Cusp (whenobserved)

• Magnetospheric shape (with model),structure, gross irregularities

• Storm conditions from aplasma/radio wave perspective

• Magnetopausestandoff distance

SI • FUV auroral image at(121.6 nm)

• FUV auroral image (135.6nm)

• Structure and intensity of the ProtonAurora

• Structure and intensity of the ElectronAurora

• Auroralboundary index

WIC • Aurora Image (140-190nm)

• Size and shape of Auroral Oval fromintensities of LBH bands

• Polar-cappotential drop

GEO • Lyman alpha image (121.6nm)

• Integrated line-of-sight density mapof the Earth's Geocorona

EUV • Plasmasphere He+ image (30.4 nm)

• Plasmaspheric density structure andplasmaspheric processes

HENAMENA

• Neutral atom image (10-500 keV)

• Neutral atom image (1-30keV)

• Neutral atom image of compositionand energy of the Ring Current andnear-Earth Plasma Sheet

• Both instrument data combined tomake a provisional Dst index

• Plasma Sheet and Ring Currentinjection dynamics, structure, shapeand local time extent

• Dst deducedfrom GENI

LENA • Neutral Atom Image (10-500 eV)

• Neutral atom composition and energyof the Auroral/Cleft ion fountain

• Ionospheric outflow

Simulated RPI Plasmagram

• RPI browse product data will produce plasmagrams

• Echoes shown in solid line, density features in dashed line.

• Derived Quantities from Plasmagrams include:

– Distance to Magnetopause, Plasmapause, Polar Cusp (when observed)

– Magnetospheric shape (with model), structure, gross irregularities

– Storm conditions from a plasma/radio wave perspective

Radio Plasma Imager (RPI)• RPI Observations

– Remote sensing of electron density structure and magnetospheric boundary locations

– Measure Requirements

– Density range: 0.1-10**5 cm-3 (determine electron density from inner plasmasphere to magnetopause)

– Spatial resolution: 500 km (resolve density structures at the magnetopause and plasmapause)

• Storm/substorm Observations– Image Time: 3 minute (resolve changes in boundary locations)

generating 480 plasmagrams/day

• Quantity Simulated is an RPI “echo map”– Illustrates spatial location and intensity of return echoes (plotted as

ray miss distance)

– Doppler measurement (not shown) provides key information on boundary motion

– Echoes from a large scale surface waves on the magnetopause

Spectrographic Imager (SI)• SI Observations

– Far ultraviolet imaging of the aurora

– Image full Earth from apogee

• Measurement Requirement– FOV: 15°x 15° for aurora (image full Earth from

apogee),

– Spatial Resolution: 90 km

– Spectral Resolution (top): Reject 130.4 nm and select 135.6 nm electron aurora emissions.

– Spectral Resolution (bottom): 121.6 nm

• Storm/substorm Observations– Image Time: 2 minutes generating 720 images/day

• Derived Quantities– Structure and intensity of the electron aurora (top)

– Structure

Geocorona (GEO) Imager

• GEO Observations– Far ultraviolet imaging of the Earth’s Geocorona

• Measurement Requirement– FOV: 1° x 360° for Geocorona

– Spatial Resolution: 90 km

– Spectral Resolution:Lyman alpha 121.6 nm

• Storm/substorm Observations– Image Time: 2 minutes generating 720 images/day

• Derived Quantities– Integrated line-of-sight density map of the Earth’s

Geocorona

• Not shown in the IMAGE Movie– Image at left from Rairden et al., 1986

Extreme Ultra-Violet (EUV) imager

• EUV Observations– 30.4 nm imaging of plasmasphere He+ column

densities

• Measure Requirements– FOV: 90°x 90° (image plasmasphere from

apogee)

– Spatial Resolution: 0.1 Earth radius from apogee

• Storm/substorm Observations– Image Time: 10 minutes generating 144

images/day

• Derived Quantities:– Plasmaspheric density structure and

plasmaspheric processes

Generation of Neutral Atoms

Simulation of Neutral Atoms

Summary

• IMAGE supports a full telemetry real-time down-link

• IMAGE will provide potentially valuable space weather data

• Level-1 and Browse data products in Common Data Format (CDF)

– reuse of ISTP data display and analysis tools

• Data processing software available for NOAA

• Space weather products need more definition

BACKUP

Simulated RPI Plasmagram