1
|
Walsh BM, Kuntz KD, Busk S, Cameron T, Chornay D, Chuchra A, Collier MR, Connor C, Connor HK, Cravens TE, Dobson N, Galeazzi M, Kim H, Kujawski J, Paw U CK, Porter FS, Naldoza V, Nutter R, Qudsi R, Sibeck DG, Sembay S, Shoemaker M, Simms K, Thomas NE, Atz E, Winkert G. The Lunar Environment Heliophysics X-ray Imager (LEXI) Mission. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2024; 220:37. [PMID: 38756703 PMCID: PMC11093736 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-024-01063-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) is a wide field-of-view soft X-ray telescope developed to study solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. LEXI is part of the Blue Ghost 1 mission comprised of 10 payloads to be deployed on the lunar surface. LEXI monitors the dayside magnetopause position and shape as a function of time by observing soft X-rays (0.1-2 keV) emitted from solar wind charge-exchange between exospheric neutrals and high charge-state solar wind plasma in the dayside magnetosheath. Measurements of the shape and position of the magnetopause are used to test temporal models of meso- and macro-scale magnetic reconnection. To image the boundary, LEXI employs lobster-eye optics to focus X-rays to a microchannel plate detector with a 9.1× ∘ 9.1 ∘ field of view.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B. M. Walsh
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - K. D. Kuntz
- The Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 21218 MD USA
| | - S. Busk
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - T. Cameron
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - D. Chornay
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | | | - M. R. Collier
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - C. Connor
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - H. K. Connor
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - T. E. Cravens
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 66045 KS USA
| | - N. Dobson
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - M. Galeazzi
- Department of Physics, University of Miami, Miami, 33146 FL USA
| | - H. Kim
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - J. Kujawski
- Brandywine Photonics, College Station, 77845 TX USA
| | - C. K. Paw U
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - F. S. Porter
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - V. Naldoza
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - R. Nutter
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - R. Qudsi
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - D. G. Sibeck
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - S. Sembay
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - M. Shoemaker
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - K. Simms
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - N. E. Thomas
- Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, Huntsville, 35808 AL USA
| | - E. Atz
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - G. Winkert
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Connor HK, Sibeck DG, Collier MR, Baliukin II, Branduardi‐Raymont G, Brandt PC, Buzulukova NY, Collado‐Vega YM, Escoubet CP, Fok M, Hsieh S, Jung J, Kameda S, Kuntz KD, Porter FS, Sembay S, Sun T, Walsh BM, Zoennchen JH. Soft X-ray and ENA Imaging of the Earth's Dayside Magnetosphere. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SPACE PHYSICS 2021; 126:e2020JA028816. [PMID: 33777610 PMCID: PMC7988574 DOI: 10.1029/2020ja028816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The LEXI and SMILE missions will provide soft X-ray images of the Earth's magnetosheath and cusps after their anticipated launch in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The IBEX mission showed the potential of an Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) instrument to image dayside magnetosheath and cusps, albeit over the long hours required to raster an image with a single pixel imager. Thus, it is timely to discuss the two imaging techniques and relevant science topics. We simulate soft X-ray and low-ENA images that might be observed by a virtual spacecraft during two interesting solar wind scenarios: a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field and a sudden enhancement of the solar wind dynamic pressure. We employ the OpenGGCM global magnetohydrodynamics model and a simple exospheric neutral density model for these calculations. Both the magnetosheath and the cusps generate strong soft X-rays and ENA signals that can be used to extract the locations and motions of the bow shock and magnetopause. Magnetopause erosion corresponds closely to the enhancement of dayside reconnection rate obtained from the OpenGGCM model, indicating that images can be used to understand global-scale magnetopause reconnection. When dayside imagers are installed with high-ENA inner-magnetosphere and FUV/UV aurora imagers, we can trace the solar wind energy flow from the bow shock to the magnetosphere and then to the ionosphere in a self-standing manner without relying upon other observatories. Soft X-ray and/or ENA imagers can also unveil the dayside exosphere density structure and its response to space weather.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H. K. Connor
- Geophysical InstituteUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | | | | | - I. I. Baliukin
- Space Research InstituteRussian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
| | | | - P. C. Brandt
- Applied Physics LaboratoryJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - N. Y. Buzulukova
- NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMDUSA
- Astronomy DepartmentUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMDUSA
| | | | - C. P. Escoubet
- European Space Research and Technology CentreEuropean Space AgencyNoordwjikThe Netherlands
| | - M.‐C. Fok
- NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMDUSA
| | - S.‐Y. Hsieh
- Applied Physics LaboratoryJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - J. Jung
- Geophysical InstituteUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | - S. Kameda
- Department of PhysicsCollege of ScienceRikkyo UniversityTokyoJapan
| | | | | | | | - T. Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Space WeatherNational Space Science CenterChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - B. M. Walsh
- Center for Space PhysicsBoston UniversityBostonMAUSA
| | - J. H. Zoennchen
- Astrophysics DepartmentArgelander Institut für AstronomieUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dunham DW, Farquhar RW, McAdams JV. Recent gravity-assist trajectories for interplanetary and solar exploration. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006; 1065:254-70. [PMID: 16510413 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1370.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes how lunar and planetary gravity assists have been used to design trajectories that have enabled challenging missions, currently flying or in development, at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University, to explore the Sun, and the planets closest to and farthest from it. This is a continuation of a paper presented at the first New Trends in Astrodynamics and Applications conference, January 2003. That paper concentrated on the Third International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3) halo orbit mission, later known as the International Cometary Explorer, or ICE, and the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission of APL, and the ground-breaking orbits that those spacecraft used to accomplish their ambitious goals. This paper gives much more information about current APL missions, MESSENGER, STEREO, and New Horizons, which were only briefly described in the previous paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David W Dunham
- Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dunham DW, Farquhar RW. Background and applications of astrodynamics for space missions of the johns hopkins applied physics laboratory. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2004; 1017:267-306. [PMID: 15220152 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1311.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes astrodynamic techniques applied to develop special orbital designs for past and future space missions of the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University, and background about those techniques. The paper does not describe the long history of low Earth-orbiting missions at APL, but rather concentrates on the astrodynamically more interesting high-altitude and interplanetary missions that APL has undertaken in recent years. The authors developed many of their techniques in preparation for, and during, the Third International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3) halo orbit mission while they worked for the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) of NASA during the 1970s and 1980s. Later missions owed much to the ground breaking work of the trajectory designs for ISEE-3 (later known as the International Cometary Explorer, or ICE). This experience, and other new ideas, were applied to the APL near Earth asteroid rendezvous (NEAR) and comet nucleus tour (CONTOUR) discovery missions, as well as to APL's future MESSENGER, STEREO, and New Horizons missions. These will be described in the paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David W Dunham
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MA, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kahler SW, Sheeley NR, Howard RA, Koomen MJ, Michels DJ, McGuire RE, von Rosenvinge TT, Reames DV. Associations between coronal mass ejections and solar energetic proton events. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1984. [DOI: 10.1029/ja089ia11p09683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
9
|
Sonnerup BUÖ, Paschmann G, Papamastorakis I, Sckopke N, Haerendel G, Bame SJ, Asbridge JR, Gosling JT, Russell CT. Evidence for magnetic field reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1981. [DOI: 10.1029/ja086ia12p10049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 603] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
12
|
Paschmann G, Sonnerup BUÖ, Papamastorakis I, Sckopke N, Haerendel G, Bame SJ, Asbridge JR, Gosling JT, Russell CT, Elphic RC. Plasma acceleration at the Earth's magnetopause: evidence for reconnection. Nature 1979. [DOI: 10.1038/282243a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 528] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|