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The Plasma Environment of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Henri, Pierre; Feldman, Paul D.; Simon Wedlund, Cyril +24 more
The environment of a comet is a fascinating and unique laboratory to study plasma processes and the formation of structures such as shocks and discontinuities from electron scales to ion scales and above. The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission collected data for more than two years, from the rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in …
Inhomogeneity in the Local ISM and Its Relation to the Heliosphere
Redfield, Seth; Linsky, Jeffrey; Ryder, Diana +1 more
This paper reviews past research and new studies underway of the local interstellar environment and its changing influence on the heliosphere. The size, shape, and physical properties of the heliosphere outside of the heliopause are determined by the surrounding environment - now the outer region of the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC). The temperat…
The Heliosphere and Local Interstellar Medium from Neutral Atom Observations at Energies Below 10 keV
Schwadron, Nathan A.; Izmodenov, Vladislav V.; Kucharek, Harald +8 more
As the heliosphere moves through the surrounding interstellar medium, a fraction of the interstellar neutral helium, hydrogen, and heavier species crossing the heliopause make it to the inner heliosphere as neutral atoms with energies ranging from few eV to several hundred eV. In addition, energetic neutral hydrogen atoms originating from solar wi…
Ground Validation Experiment and Spectral Detection Capability Evaluation of Mars Mineralogical Spectrometer (MMS) Aboard HX-1 Orbiter
Zhang, Qing; Liu, Bin; Liu, Jianjun +8 more
As a hyperspectral imager aboard the orbiter "HX-1" of China's first Mars mission, the Mars Mineralogical Spectrometer (MMS) is designed with hyperspectral and multispectral operation modes to survey the mineral types and their distribution on the surface of Mars, and to study the overall chemical composition and evolution history of Mars. The mul…
Interstellar Neutrals, Pickup Ions, and Energetic Neutral Atoms Throughout the Heliosphere: Present Theory and Modeling Overview
Zank, Gary P.; Zhang, Ming; Mostafavi, Parisa +11 more
Interstellar neutrals (ISNs), pick-up ions (PUIs), and energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) are fundamental constituents of the heliosphere and its interaction with the neighboring interstellar medium. Here, we focus on selected aspects of present-day theory and modeling of these particles. In the last decades, progress in the understanding of the role …
The BepiColombo Environment Radiation Monitor, BERM
Vainio, Rami; Moissl, Richard; Oleynik, Philipp +9 more
The BepiColombo Environment Radiation Monitor (BERM) on board the European Space Agency's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), is designed to measure the radiation environment encountered by BepiColombo. The instrument measures electrons with energies from ∼150 keV to ∼10 MeV, protons with energies from ∼1.5 MeV to ∼100 MeV, and heavy ions with Linear…
The Early History of Heliospheric Science and the Spacecraft That Made It Possible
Krimigis, S. M.; Möbius, E.; Richardson, J. D. +8 more
Our understanding of the interaction of the large-scale heliosphere with the local interstellar medium (LISM) has undergone a profound change since the very earliest analyses of the problem. In part, the revisions have been a consequence of ever-improving and widening observational results, especially those that identified the entrance of interste…
Dust in and Around the Heliosphere and Astrospheres
Slavin, Jonathan D.; Draine, Bruce T.; Lallement, Rosine +7 more
Interstellar dust particles were discovered in situ, in the solar system, with the Ulysses mission's dust detector in 1992. Ever since, more interstellar dust particles have been measured inside the solar system by various missions, providing insight into not only the composition of such far-away visitors, but also in their dynamics and interactio…
The Psyche Topography and Geomorphology Investigation
Williams, David A.; Bell, James F.; Jaumann, Ralf +16 more
Detailed mapping of topography is crucial for the understanding of processes shaping the surfaces of planetary bodies. In particular, stereoscopic imagery makes a major contribution to topographic mapping and especially supports the geologic characterization of planetary surfaces. Image data provide the basis for extensive studies of the surface s…
Solar Energetic Particles: Spatial Extent and Implications of the H and He Abundances
Reames, Donald V.
One of the earliest indicators of the importance of shock acceleration of solar energetic particles (SEPs) was the broad spatial extent of the "gradual" SEP events produced as the shock waves, driven by wide, fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs), expand across the Sun with cross-field transport mediated by the shocks. Contrasting "impulsive" SEP eve…