Max Millennium Program

Active Space Based Observatories

  • ACE
  • FERMI
  • GOES SXI
  • HINODE
  • RHESSI
  • SDO
  • STEREO

  • ACE
    ACE Contact: Tycho Von Rosenvinge, GSFC
    Details The Atmospheric Composition Explorer (ACE) makes in-situ particles and fields measurements as orbits the L1 libration point in an elliptical orbit with a semi-major axis of approximately 200,000 km. ACE instruments include: CRIS Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer, EPAM Electon, Proton, and Alpha Monitor, MAG Magnetometer, SEPICA Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer, SIS Solar Isotope Spectrometer, SWEPAM Solar Wind Electon, Proton, and Alpha Monitor, SWICS Solar Wind Ionic Charge Spectrometer, SWIMS Solar Wind Ion Mass Spectrometer, & ULEIS Ultra Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer.
    FERMI
    LAT Contact: Gerry Share, NRL
    Details The Large Aperture Telescope (LAT)  aboard the Fermi mission has four subsystems that work together to detect gamma rays and to reject signals from the intense bombardment of cosmic rays.  LAT’s excellent sensitivity enables measurement of 0.1 to tens of GeV photons even in the weakest nuclear-line solar flares.  The solar Target of Opportunity plan simply maintains the Fermi rocking angle in the hemisphere closest to the Sun’s position. This plan basically doubles the solar exposure by doubling the duty cycle. This allows for solar measurements every 90 minutes.
    GOES SXI
    SXT Contact: Doug Biesecker, NOAA
    Details 3-80 Angstrom Soft X-ray images.  Full disk images with pixel size 5" in a 512 x 512 array and an image cadence of
    1/minute. 
    Hinode
    EIS Contact: Len Culhane, MSSL
    Details

    The EUV Imaging Spectrograph (EIS) provides monochromatic images and spectra of the transition region and corona at high cadence using a slot. High spectral resolution images can be obtained by rastering with a slit. 

    SOT Contact: Ted Tarbell, LMSAL
    Details

    The Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) provides high resolution optical images.  SOT also includes the Focal Plane Package (FPP) vector magnetograph and spectrograph. The vector magnetograph provides time series of photospheric vector magnetograms, Doppler velocity and photospheric intensity. The FPP spectrograph provides detailed Stokes line profiles.

    XRT
    Contact: Ed De Luca, CFA
    Details

    The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) provides high resolution images at a wide range of coronal temperatures, with both full disk and partial fields of view (for higher image cadence), and includes a flare flag.

    RHESSI
    RHESSI Contact: Brian Dennis, GSFC
    Details Angular Resolution: 2 arcseconds to 100 keV, 7 arcseconds to 400 keV, 36 arcseconds above 1 MeV.   Angular Coverage: sources of size ~2 arcseconds to ~180 arcseconds can be imaged anywhere within the ~1-degree RHESSI field of view centered within 0.2 degrees of Sun center. Temporal Resolution:  Tens of milliseconds for a basic image.  2 seconds (half a rotation of the spacecraft) for a detailed image.   Spectral Resolution:  0.5 keV (FWHM) to 30 keV, increasing to ~3 keV at 1 MeV,  ~5 keV at 20 MeV.   Aspect information: direction to Sun-center to better than 1.5", roll angle to better than 3'. Direct questions about RHESSI status and operations to the RHESSI Tohban.
    SDO
    AIA Contact: Alan Title, LMSAL
    Details The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) images the solar atmosphere in multiple wavelengths to link changes in the surface to interior changes. Data includes images of the Sun in 10 wavelengths every 10 seconds.
    EVE Contact: Tom Woods, University of Colorado
    Details The Extreme Ultraviolet Variablity Experiment (EVE) measures the solar extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance with unprecedented spectral resolution, temporal cadence, and precision. EVE measures the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral irradiance to understand variations on the timescales which influence Earth's climate and near-Earth space.
    HMI Contact: Phil Scherrer, Stanford
    Details The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) extends the capabilities of the SOHO/MDI instrument with continual full-disk coverage at higher spatial resolution and new vector magnetogram capabilities.
    STEREO
    SECCHI Contact: Russ Howard, US Naval Research Laboratory
    Details The Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) is comprised of four instruments: an extreme ultraviolet imager, two white-light coronagraphs and a heliospheric imager. These instruments study the 3-D evolution of CME's from birth at the Sun's surface through the corona and interplanetary medium to its eventual impact at Earth.  
    SWAVES Contact: Michael L. Kaiser, CNRS, Paris
    Details The STEREO/WAVES (SWAVES) is an interplanetary radio burst tracker that traces the generation and evolution of traveling radio disturbances from the Sun to the orbit of Earth.  
    IMPACT Contact: Janet Luhmann, University of California, Berkeley
    Details In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients (IMPACT) samples the 3-D distribution and provides plasma characteristics of solar energetic particles and the local vector magnetic field.  
    PLASTIC Contact: Toni Galvin, University of New Hampshire
    Details PLAsma and SupraThermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) provides plasma characteristics of protons, alpha particles and heavy ions. This experiment provides diagnostic measurements of the form of mass and charge state composition of heavy ions and characterizes the CME plasma from ambient coronal plasma.