Solar Terrestrial Probes program
NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP) is a series of missions focused on studying the Sun-Earth system. It is part of NASA's Heliophysics Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate.[1]
Objectives
[edit | edit source]- Understand the fundamental physical processes of the complex space environment throughout the Solar System, which includes the flow of energy and charged material, known as plasma, as well as a dynamic system of magnetic and electric fields.
- Understand how human society, technological systems, and the habitability of planets are affected by solar variability and planetary magnetic fields.
- Develop the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic conditions in space in order to maximize the safety and productivity of human and robotic explorers.
Missions
[edit | edit source]TIMED
[edit | edit source]The TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) is an orbiter mission dedicated to study the dynamics of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) portion of the Earth's atmosphere.[2] The mission was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on December 7, 2001 aboard a Delta II rocket launch vehicle.[3]
Hinode
[edit | edit source]Hinode, an ongoing collaboration with JAXA, is a mission to explore the magnetic fields of the Sun.[4] It was launched on the final flight of the M-V-7 rocket from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan on September 22, 2006.
STEREO
[edit | edit source]STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a solar observation mission.[5] It consists in two nearly identical spacecraft, launched on October 26, 2006.
MMS
[edit | edit source]The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) is a mission to study the Earth's magnetosphere, using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation.[6] The spacecraft were launched on March 13, 2015.
IMAP
[edit | edit source]IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) is a heliosphere observation mission. Launched in September 2025, it will sample, analyze, and map particles streaming to Earth from the edges of interstellar space.[7]
References
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