Open AccessTwo wide-angle imaging neutral-atom spectrometers
Author(s) -
D. J. McComas
Publication year - 1997
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/587982
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , energetic neutral atom , spacecraft , physics , spectrometer , satellite , imaging spectrometer , range (aeronautics) , aerospace engineering , remote sensing , computational physics , astronomy , optics , geology , plasma , nuclear physics , engineering
The Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS) mission provides a new capability for stereoscopically imaging the magnetosphere. By imaging the charge exchange neutral atoms over a broad energy range (1 < E , {approximately} 100 keV) using two identical instruments on two widely-spaced high-altitude, high-inclination spacecraft, TWINS will enable the 3-dimensional visualization and the resolution of large scale structures and dynamics within the magnetosphere for the first time. These observations will provide a leap ahead in the understanding of the global aspects of the terrestrial magnetosphere and directly address a number of critical issues in the ``Sun-Earth Connections`` science theme of the NASA Office of Space Science