Future Prospects for Solar EUV and Soft X-Ray Spectroscopy Missions

Future prospects for solar spectroscopy missions operating in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) wavelength ranges, 1.2–1,600 Å, are discussed. NASA is the major funder of Solar Physics missions, and brief summaries of the opportunities for mission development under NASA are given. Upcoming major solar missions from other nations are also described. The methods of observing the Sun in the two wavelength ranges are summarized with a discussion of spectrometer types, imaging techniques and detector options. The major spectral features in the EUV and SXR regions are identified, and then the upcoming instruments and concepts are summarized. The instruments range from large spectrometers on dedicated missions, to tiny, low-cost CubeSats launched through rideshare opportunities

Cosmic Origins Program Annual Technology Report

What is the Cosmic Origins (COR) Program? From ancient times, humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered: Are we alone? How did the universe come to be? How does the universe work? COR focuses on the second question. Scientists investigating this broad theme seek to understand the origin and evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to the present day, determining how the expanding universe grew into a grand cosmic web of dark matter enmeshed with galaxies and pristine gas, forming, merging, and evolving over time. COR also seeks to understand how stars and planets form from clouds in these galaxies to create the heavy elements that are essential to life starting with the first generation of stars to seed the universe, and continuing through the birth and eventual death of all subsequent generations of stars. The COR Programs purview includes the majority of the field known as astronomy, from antiquity to the present

COBE's search for structure in the Big Bang

The launch of Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the definition of Earth Observing System (EOS) are two of the major events at NASA-Goddard. The three experiments contained in COBE (Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR), Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS), and Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE)) are very important in measuring the big bang. DMR measures the isotropy of the cosmic background (direction of the radiation). FIRAS looks at the spectrum over the whole sky, searching for deviations, and DIRBE operates in the infrared part of the spectrum gathering evidence of the earliest galaxy formation. By special techniques, the radiation coming from the solar system will be distinguished from that of extragalactic origin. Unique graphics will be used to represent the temperature of the emitting material. A cosmic event will be modeled of such importance that it will affect cosmological theory for generations to come. EOS will monitor changes in the Earth's geophysics during a whole solar color cycle

Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 5A: Descriptions of astronomy, astrophysics, and solar physics spacecraft and investigations. Volume 5B: Descriptions of data sets from astronomy, astrophysics, and solar physics spacecraft and investigations

The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets of astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided

Cosmic Origins (COR) Program Technology Development 2018

No abstract availabl

Report on active and planned spacecraft and experiments

Information dealing with active and planned spacecraft and experiments known to the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) is presented. Included is information concerning a wide range of disciplines: astronomy, earth sciences, meteorology, planetary sciences, aeronomy, particles and fields, solar physics, life sciences, and material sciences. These spacecraft represent the efforts and funding of individual countries, as well as cooperative arrangements among different countries

proceedings of a workshop held at Göttingen September 27 - 29, 2006

An international workshop entitled: Modern Solar Facilities - Advanced Solar Science was held in Göttingen from September 27 until September 29, 2006. The workshop, which was attended by 88 participants from 24 different countries, gave a broad overview of the current state of solar research, with emphasis on modern telescopes and techniques, advanced observational methods and results, and on modern theoretical methods of modelling, computation, and data reduction in solar physics. This book collects written versions of contributions that were presented at the workshop as invited or contributed talks, and as poster contributions.Vom 27. bis 29. September 2006 fand in Göttingen ein internationaler Workshop zum Thema: Modern Solar Facilities - Advanced Solar Science statt, der von 88 Teilnehmern aus 24 verschiedenen Ländern besucht wurde und der einen breiten Überblick über den gegenwärtigen Stand der sonnenphysikalischen Forschung gab, unter Betonung moderner Teleskope und Techniken, fortschrittlicher Beobachtungsmethoden und Ergebnisse, sowie zu modernen theoretischen Verfahren der Modellierung, Berechnung und Datenreduktion in der Sonnenphysik. Dieser Band fasst die schriftlichen Versionen von Beiträgen zusammen, die auf der Konferenz als eingeladene oder angemeldete Vorträge, sowie als Posterbeiträge präsentiert worden sind.conferenc

FIREBall, CHAS, and the diffuse universe

The diffuse universe, consisting of baryons that have not yet collapsed into structures such as stars, galaxies, etc., has not been well studied. While the intergalactic and circumgalactic mediums (IGM & CGM) may contain 30-40% of the baryons in the universe, this low density gas is difficult to observe. Yet it is likely a key driver of the evolution of galaxies and star formation through cosmic time. The IGM provides a reservoir of gas that can be used for star formation, if it is able to accrete onto a galaxy. The CGM bridges the IGM and the galaxy itself, as a region of both inflows from the IGM and outflows from galactic star formation and feedback. The diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) gas and dust in the galaxy itself may also be affected by the CGM of the galaxy. Careful observations of the ISM of our own Galaxy may provide evidence of interaction with the CGM. These three regions of low density, the IGM, CGM, and ISM, are arbitrary divisions of a continuous flow of low density material into and out of galaxies. My thesis focuses on observations of this low density material using existing telescopes as well as on the development of technology and instruments that will increase the sensitivity of future missions. I used data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to create an all sky map of the diffuse Galactic far ultraviolet (FUV) background, probing the ISM of our own galaxy and comparing to other Galactic all sky maps. The FUV background is primarily due to dust scattered starlight from bright stars in the Galactic plane, and the changing intensity across the sky can be used to characterize dust scattering asymmetry and albedo. We measure a consistent low level non-scattered isotropic component to the diffuse FUV, which may be due in small part to an extragalactic component. There are also several regions of unusually high FUV intensity given other Galactic quantities. Such regions may be the location of interactions between Galactic super-bubbles and the CGM. Other ways of probing the CGM including direct detection via emission lines. I built a proto-type of the Circumgalactic Hα Spectrograph (CHαS), a wide-field, low-cost, narrow-band integral field unit (IFU) that is designed to observe Hα emission from the CGM of nearby, low-z galaxies. This proto-type has had two recent science runs, with preliminary data on several nearby galaxies. Additional probes of the CGM are emission lines in the rest ultra-violet. These include OVI, Lyα, CIV, SiIII, CIII, CII, FeII, and MgII. Such lines are accessible for low redshift galaxies in the space UV, historically a difficult wavelength range in which to work due in part to low efficiency of the available detectors. I have worked with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop advanced anti-reflection (AR) coatings for use on thinned, delta-doped charge coupled device (CCD) detectors. These detectors have achieved world record quantum efficiency (QE) at UV wavelengths (> 50% between 130 nm and 300nm), with the potential for even greater QE with a more complex coating. One of these AR coated detectors will be used on the Faint Intergalactic Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall-2), a balloon-born UV spectrograph designed to observe the CGM at 205 nm via redshifted Lyα (at z=0.7), CIV (at z=0.3), and OVI (at z=1.0). FIREBall-2 will launch in the fall of 2015

Understanding the Impacts of Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere on Thermospheric Dynamics and Composition

The Earth’s Ionosphere and Thermosphere (IT) is a highly dynamic system persistently driven by variable forcings both from above (Solar EUV and the magnetosphere) and the lower atmosphere. The forcing from below accounts for the majority of the variability at low- and mid-latitude IT region during geomagnetic quiet times. The IT region is particularly sensitive to the composition, winds, and temperature of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) state. The goal of this dissertation is to help understand how the MLT region controls the upper atmosphere. This is achieved by using the IT model, Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM) and altering its lower boundary (which is in the MLT) to allow a more accurate representation of the lower atmospheric physics within the model. At the beginning of this thesis, it is identified that recent solstitial observations of MLT atomic oxygen (O) from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument show larger densities in the summer hemisphere than in the winter hemisphere. This is opposite to what has been previously known and specified in the IT models, and its cause is still under investigation. The first study focuses on understanding the influence of this latitudinal distribution by using a more realistic specification of MLT [O] from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere extension (WACCM-X), in GITM. This study shows that despite being a minor species throughout the lower thermosphere, reversing the [O] distribution affects the pressure gradients, winds, temperature, and N2 in the lower thermosphere. These changes then map to higher altitudes through diffusive equilibrium, improving the agreement between GITM O/N2 and Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) measurements. Secondly, the importance of MLT variations on the thermospheric and ionospheric semiannual variation (T-I SAO) is investigated. This is done by analyzing the sensitivity of T-I SAO in GITM to different lower boundary assumptions. This study reveals that the primary driver of T-I SAO is the thermospheric spoon mechanism, as a significant T-I SAO is reproduced in GITM without an SAO variation in the MLT. However, using a more realistic MLT [O] from WACCM-X produces an oppositely-phased T-I SAO, maximizing at solstices, disagreeing with the observations. Since the MLT [O] distribution is correct in WACCM-X, the results hint at incomplete specification/physics for lower thermospheric dynamics in GITM that can drive the transition of the SAO to its correct phase. These mechanisms warrant further investigation and may include stronger winter-to-summer winds, and lower thermospheric residual circulation. The goal of the last study is to examine the effects of spatially non-uniform turbulent mixing in the MLT on the IT system. This is achieved by introducing latitudinal variation in the eddy diffusion parameter (Kzz) in GITM. The results reveal larger spatial variability in O/N2 and TEC. However, the net effect is small (within 2-4%) on the globally averaged quantities and depends on the area of the turbulent patch. The results also show a different response between the summer and the winter IT region, with winter exhibiting larger changes. Overall, this thesis has highlighted some of the outstanding questions in the domain of lower atmosphere-IT coupling and have answered them through exhaustive comparisons of GITM simulations with different satellite observations, and extensive term analyses of the GITM equations, while laying out a framework for coupling of GITM with WACCM-X.PHDClimate and Space Sciences and EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169766/1/garimam_1.pd