Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments for Solar-Terrestrial Research Report of a Workshop (2006) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction and Workshop Background
1 Introduction and Workshop Background
Pages 4-9
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From page 4... ...
Study of Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere formed the historical starting point for space physics research, and the two regions remain an important focus for study because they constitute the space environment in which most human activities occur and they provide important prototypes for understanding the magnetospheres and ionospheres of other planets and small solar system bodies. In addition, the basic physical phenomena of space plasmas, which occur in remote and therefore inaccessible locations in the universe, also can be studied directly in Earth's magnetosphere.
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From page 5... ...
Today, nearly half a century after the dawn of the space age, remote sensing from ground-based facilities remains essential to efforts to characterize and understand Earth's space environment and to investigate the workings of its ultimate energy source, the Sun. One of the most serious obstacles to progress in understanding and predicting the space physics environment is the inadequate spatial distribution of ground-based measurements.
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From page 6... ...
. To provide continuous real-time observations with the resolution needed to resolve mesoscale phenomena and their dynamic evolution and to support the next generation of space weather dataassimilation models, the survey report recommended that the next major ground-based instrumentation initiative be the deployment of widely distributed arrays of small space physics research instruments.
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From page 7... ...
The DASI concept combines state-of-the-art instrumentation with real-time communications technology to provide both broad coverage and fine-scale spatial and temporal resolution of upper atmospheric processes crucial to understanding the coupled atmosphere-ionospheremagnetosphere system. When implemented, data from the DASI instruments will provide the simultaneous real-time measurements that are needed for assimilation into physics-based models.
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From page 8... ...
Because many instruments and instrument arrays can be operated in different modes to provide varying spatial, temporal, and parametric coverage, real-time observations are needed to set and coordinate the observing grids to provide optimal coverage in a dynamically evolving environment. The ionosphere routinely causes space weather disturbances that result in satellite communications interruptions, GPS navigation errors and outages, and tracking inaccuracies that compromise the determination of the orbits of satellite and space debris.
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From page 9... ...
A strong motivation for the DASI concept is to provide the coordinated, wideranging, continuous high-resolution data sets needed to guide the development of theory and models that will better describe and predict the characteristics and dynamics of Earth's space environment. Low-cost instrumentation that is widely deployed and running continuously can provide the spatial and temporal coverage needed to capture the evolution and characteristics of the weather in geospace.
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