Solar System Physics and Space

Technology Programat IRF-Kiruna

Prof. Stas BarabashSwedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna

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Title and definition

Programmet för solsystemets fysik och rymdteknikSolar system physics and space technology program

SSPT program at IRF-K

The goal:Study the environment and the solar wind interaction as well as the evolution and dynamics of solar system objects with focus on the inner planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and dust. Development of scientific instrumentation for satellite-based measurements in support of space exploration.

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Research fields

• Space plasma physics• Satellite - borne instrumentation for particle measurements

(experimental space plasma physics), hot plasma range (~10 eV - 100 keV….1 MeV)

• Data analysis and simulations

• Meteor research (presented by Asta)• Ground - based measurement techniques

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Scientific topics (satellites)

• Comparative magnetospheres How different are plasma environments?

• Solar wind and atmospheres How does the interplanetary medium affect planetary atmospheres?

• Plasma and neutral gas/dust in space How does different states of matter co-exist?

• Plasma and surfaces How does the interplanetary medium affect planetary surfaces?

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Head of SSPT programStas Barabash

Head ofTechnical Group

Kjell Lundin

Deputy (Science)Mats Holmström

Deputy Herman Andersson

Electrical groupVesa Alatalo

Magnus EmanuelssonJonas Olsen

Stefan Karlsson Johan Svensson

Lars Wittikko

ScientistsFutaana Yosohifumi

Herbert GunellRickard LundinKazama Youchi

Hans NilssonAsta PellinenMartin Wieser

Yamauchi Masatoshi

Ph.D. studentsAndreas Ekenbäck

Sasha GrigorievKlas JohnssonElla KarlssonJohan Kero

David McCannCsilla Szasz,

Mechanical groupJan Johansson

Rickard KumpulaTero Saarijätvi

ProgrammersHans BorgLeif Kalla

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Staff

• 2 professors (=1.2 FTE)• 8 senior scientists and Post Docs (internally and

externally supported) (=6 FTE)• 7 Ph.D. students (all supported by Forskarskolan)• 11 engineers and technicians (= 11 FTE)• 2 Programmers (=2 FTE)

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Interactions in the group

Technical groupExperiment

Simulations

Data analysis

New!!

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Uniqueness of the group

• Small, highly competence group of space scientists and engineers working together

• From idea via experiment to final results and theory.• Own development, test, calibration, and manufacturing facilities• Flexibility, low cost, shorted development cycles

Ion /electron calibration system

Thermal vacuum and Solar balance test

system

Electronic laboratory

Mechanical workshop

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Kiruna-made instruments

1988ASPERA

1992, TICS, MATE

1996ASPERA-C

1998IMI

2002, ASPERA-3

2005ASPERA-4

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Space missions. Overview

• Sounding rocket era: 1964 - 1986• First satellite experiment : ESRO 1A - 3/9 1968• First interplanetary experiment: Phobos 1 - 7/7 1988• IRF - Kiruna satellite experiments:

• Earth’s magnetosphere: 16• Mars: 5• Venus: 1 (2006)• Comets: 2• Moon: 2 (1 - 2008)• Jupiter / Sun: 1• Mercury: 2 (2012)

• PI instruments on all non-American missions to Mars since 1988.

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History - Future. Road map

1970

ESRO 4

GEOS 1

GEOS 2

Prognoz 7

1980

Viking

Prognoz 8

Phobos 2

Phobos 1

Mars 96

Nozomi

Astrid 2

Interball 2

Munin

1990

Freja

Interball 1

Cluster 1

Astrid 1

Ulysses

2010

BepiColombo

2000

Cluster 2

Rosetta

MarsExpress

VenusExpress

Smart-1

Eart

hPl

anet

s

ESRO 1A

ESRO 2A

1960

Chandra-yaan

?

Double Star

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Current ESA missions (1)

Mars Express (ESA)ASPERA-3 (PI), launch May 2003

First combined electron, ion and ENA measurements

Venus Express (ESA)ASPERA-4 (PI), launch Nov. 2005First combined electron, ion and

ENA measurements

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Current ESA missions (2)

SMART-1 (ESA)D-CIXS (Co-I), Sept. 2003

X - ray measurements

at the Moon

Rosetta (ESA)ICA (PI), launch March 2004

Ion measurements at the Chyrumov- Gerasimenko comet

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International cooperation

Double Star - Polar (ESA / China)NUADU (Co-PI), June 2004

MMO (ESA / JAXA / ISAS)MPPE/ENA (Co-PI), 2012

Chandrayaan-1 (ISRO)ENA (Co-PI), Nov. 2007

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Main scientific subjects

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The Grand Tour • Comparative magnetospheric studies: to complete The

Grand Tour - Earth, Mars, Venus, Moon, Mercury, Comets• How the environment affects the planet’s evolution

Solar Wind

Tail Beams(0.1 - 3 keV)

Flank Cold IonOutflow (1 - 100 eV)

Earth MarsVenus

CometsMercury Moon

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Comparative magnetospheres

Types of the solar wind interactionsObject Ionosphere Magnetic field SW interface

Mercury No Yes Surface/magnetopauseVenus/ Mars Yes No Ionopause

Earth Yes Yes MagnetopauseMoon No No Surface

Comets "Yes" No Contact surfaceAsteroids No/"Yes" No/Yes Surface / Small scale

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Mars - main stop

• Mars research: near - planetary environment impact on the Mars’ atmosphere

• Astrobiological aspects: water loss• Implications for the Earth: role of the magnetic field in the

atmosphere protection• Space Plasma Physics: multicomponent plasmas,

minimagnetosphere (Re << L < Rp)

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Venus - the hottest planet in the Solar System

• Earth and Venus started as twin - planets. Why are they so different now?

• Biggest mystery - reason for the run - away green house effect on Venus.

• Unique comparative magnetospheric studies: Mars - Venus

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Thrust to the Moon!

• Back to the Moon: Solar wind and near Moon environment• Mercury analogue• Plasma - surface interaction, a missed field.• Physics of minimagnetospheres (comapre with Mars!)

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Mercury - the smallest magnetosphere

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Plans (satellites)

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New frontiers and plans. Missions

• Aeronomy / space physics mission to Mars (never done before!)

• Multi - point magnetospheric missions • Giant planet magnetospheres - an ESA Jupiter mission

after 2015.

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New frontiers and plans. Instrumentation

Space instrumentation of the new millennium: • scientific micro / nanosatellites• miniaturized instrumentation (on-going)• advances ion mass analyzers (increased M/M)• radically new measurements techniques (e .g. imaging ion

/ENA mass spectroscopy, MEMS - micro electromechanical systems) (on-going)

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New frontiers and plans. Simulations - data analysis

• Hybrid codes (user friendly!) for different environment. Global models of the solar wind - planet interaction

• Parallel computing

• Applied tasks (instrument / component simulations)

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Programmatic implementation

• National / bilateral projects coherent with the ESA programs• Small-scale highly focused missions to Mars

• ESA missions within Space Science and Aurora programs• New mission proposals: magnetospheric physics: multispacecraft - missions• New experiment proposals: Mars, Moon environment, Jupiter

• Experiments through International cooperation: China, Japan, India, Russia• China, India, Russia missions to the Moon and Mars and

magnetospheric missions

• Nanosatellite projects: Institute level

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Space Science Results(student talks to follow!)