Fine structure of the interplanetary shock front according to measurements of the ion flux of the solar wind with high time resolution

According to the data of the BMSW/SPEKTR-R instrument, which measured the density and velocity of solar wind plasma with a record time resolution, up to ~3 ×10^–2 s, the structure of the front of interplanetary shocks has been investigated. The results of these first investigations were compared with the results of studying the structure of the bow shocks obtained in previous years. A comparison has shown that the quasi-stationary (averaged over the rapid oscillations) distribution of plasma behind the interplanetary shock front was significantly more inhomogeneous than that behind the bow-shock front, i.e., in the magnetosheath. It has also been shown that, to determine the size of internal structures of the fronts of quasi-perpendicular (θ_BN > 45°) shocks, one could use the magnetic field magnitude, the proton density, and the proton flux of the solar wind on almost equal terms. A comparison of low Mach (М _А < 2), low beta (β₁ < 1) fronts of interplanetary and bow shocks has shown that the dispersion of oblique magnetosonic waves plays an essential role in their formation.     

Mesospheric OH temperatures: Simultaneous ground-based and SABER OH measurements over Millstone Hill

We present rotational temperature measurements of the mesospheric OH emission layer using a meridional imaging spectrograph at Millstone Hill (42.6°N, 72.5°W). The system is equipped with a state-of-the-art bare-CCD detector and can yield simultaneous quasi-meridional images of the mesospheric OH and O₂ intensity and temperature fields at 87 and 94 km altitude during the course of each night. A cross-validation study of the rotational OH temperature measurements obtained on 61 nights during the autumnal months of 2005–2007 was undertaken with near-simultaneous kinetic temperature measurements made by the SABER instrument aboard the NASA TIMED satellite during overpasses of Millstone Hill. Excellent agreement was obtained between the two datasets with the small differences being attributable to differences in the spatial and temporal averaging inherent between the two datasets.     

A Theoretic Interpretation of Movement of the Cusp Equatorward Boundary

A preliminary model is proposed to describe quantitatively the position and movement of cusp equatorward boundary. This integrated model, consisting of an empirical model of the magnetopause and a compressed dipolar model of Open/Closed field line, connects quantitatively the solar wind conditions, subsolar magnetopause and cusp equatorward boundary. It is shown that the increasing solar wind dynamic pressure and the increasing southward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) component drive the magnetopause to move inward and the cusp equatorward. This model is adopted to interpret quantitatively the cusp movement of August 14, 2001 observed by Cluster. The results show that the subsolar magnetopause moved earthward from 10.7 He to 9.0 Re during the period of 002300-002800 UT, and correspondingly the cusp equatorward boundary shifted equatorward. The observations of Cluster C1 and C4 show the cusp equatorward boundary that Cluster Cl and C4 were crossing during same interval moved equatorward by 4.6°. The cusp equatorward boundary velocity computed in the theoretical model (10.7km/s) is in good agreement with the observed value (9.4km/s) calculated from the data of CIS of Cluster C4 and C1.     

Space flight experiment on Chinese silkworm on board the Russian 10th Biosatellite.

Space flight experiments on Chinese silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) were conducted on board the Russian 10th Biosatellite for 12 days. The samples included silkworm eggs, larvae, cocoons, pupae and moths. The processes of spinning, cocooning, mating, oviposition, larval hatching, pupation and moth emergence all completed well in space. The following effects of space flight on silkworm development were observed: The times of hatching and oviposition in the flight group were 2 to 3 days earlier than in the control group; the hatching rate of diapause eggs during space flight seemed higher than that of the control group; the life span of 2 of the 7 varieties flown was shortened; genetical variations appeared in 3 varieties. The results showed that the embryonic stage was probably the period most sensitive to the space flight environment.     

Variation of Polar Coronal Hole Profiles with Solar Cycle

We compared the H I Lyα polar coronal hole profiles obtained during the three Spartan 201 flights (in 1993, 1994, and 1995) and during the more recent UVCS/SOHO mission. We found that at 2.1 R_⊙ there are no significant variations of the line shape over the several years of the descending phase of the solar cycle. However, there may be some evidence for the 1.8 R_⊙ profiles being broader towards solar minimum. The profiles at 2.1 R_⊙ are different from profiles obtained at 1.8 R_⊙; they have clearly narrower cores and wide wings. We fitted the profiles with single and/or multiple Gaussian functions and calculated their typical 1/e half widths. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Critical Issues on Magnetic Reconnection in Space Plasmas

The idea of expedient energy transformation by magnetic reconnection (MR) has generated much enthusiasm in the space plasma community. The early concept of MR, which was envisioned for the solar flare phenomenon in a simple two-dimensional (2D) steady-state situation, is in dire need for extension to encompass three-dimensional (3D) non-steady-state phenomena prevalent in space plasmas in nature like in the magnetosphere. A workshop was organized to address this and related critical issues on MR. The essential outcome of this workshop is summarized in this review. After a brief evaluation on the pros and cons of existing definitions of MR, we propose essentially a working definition that can be used to identify MR in transient and spatially localized phenomena. The word “essentially” reflects a slight diversity in the opinion on how transient and localized 3D MR process might be defined. MR is defined here as a process with the following characteristics: (1) there is a plasma bulk flow across a boundary separating regions with topologically different magnetic field lines if projected on the plane of MR, thereby converting magnetic energy into kinetic particle energy, (2) there can be an out-of-the-plane magnetic field component (the so-called guide field) present such that the reconnected magnetic flux tubes are twisted to form flux ropes, and (3) the region exhibiting non-ideal MHD conditions should be localized to a scale comparable to the ion inertial length in the direction of the plasma inflow velocity. This definition captures the most important 3D aspects and preserves many essential characteristics of the 2D case. It may be considered as the first step in the generalization of the traditional 2D concept. As a demonstration on the utility of this definition, we apply it to identify MR associated with plasma phenomena in the dayside magnetopause and nightside magnetotail of the Earth’s magnetosphere. How MR may be distinguished from other competing mechanisms for these magnetospheric phenomena are then discussed.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Exploring The Saturn System In The Thermal Infrared: The Composite Infrared Spectrometer

The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) is a remote-sensing Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) on the Cassini orbiter that measures thermal radiation over two decades in wavenumber, from 10 to 1400 cm^{− 1} (1 mm to 7μ m), with a spectral resolution that can be set from 0.5 to 15.5 cm^{− 1}. The far infrared portion of the spectrum (10–600 cm^{− 1}) is measured with a polarizing interferometer having thermopile detectors with a common 4-mrad field of view (FOV). The middle infrared portion is measured with a traditional Michelson interferometer having two focal planes (600–1100 cm^{− 1}, 1100–1400 cm^{− 1}). Each focal plane is composed of a 1× 10 array of HgCdTe detectors, each detector having a 0.3-mrad FOV. CIRS observations will provide three-dimensional maps of temperature, gas composition, and aerosols/condensates of the atmospheres of Titan and Saturn with good vertical and horizontal resolution, from deep in their tropospheres to high in their mesospheres. CIRS’s ability to observe atmospheres in the limb-viewing mode (in addition to nadir) offers the opportunity to provide accurate and highly resolved vertical profiles of these atmospheric variables. The ability to observe with high-spectral resolution should facilitate the identification of new constituents. CIRS will also map the thermal and compositional properties of the surfaces of Saturn’s icy satellites. It will similarly map Saturn’s rings, characterizing their dynamical and spatial structure and constraining theories of their formation and evolution. The combination of broad spectral range, programmable spectral resolution, the small detector fields of view, and an orbiting spacecraft platform will allow CIRS to observe the Saturnian system in the thermal infrared at a level of detail not previously achieved.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Global Processes that Determine Cosmic Ray Modulation

The global processes that determine cosmic ray modulation are reviewed. The essential elements of the theory which describes cosmic ray behavior in the heliosphere are summarized, and a series of discussions is presented which compare the expectations of this theory with observations of the spatial and temporal behavior of both galactic cosmic rays and the anomalous component; the behavior of cosmic ray electrons and ions; and the 26-day variations in cosmic rays as a function of heliographic latitude. The general conclusion is that the current theory is essentially correct. There is clear evidence, in solar minimum conditions, that the cosmic rays and the anomalous component behave as is expected from theory, with strong effects of gradient and curvature drifts. There is strong evidence of considerable latitude transport of the cosmic rays, at all energies, but the mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. Despite the apparent success of the theory, there is no single choice for the parameters which describe cosmic ray behavior, which can account for all of the observed temporal and spatial variations, spectra, and electron vs. ion behavior.     

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter Investigation on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) is an instrument on the payload of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (LRO) (Chin et al., in Space Sci. Rev. 129:391–419, 2007). The instrument is designed to measure the shape of the Moon by measuring precisely the range from the spacecraft to the lunar surface, and incorporating precision orbit determination of LRO, referencing surface ranges to the Moon’s center of mass. LOLA has 5 beams and operates at 28 Hz, with a nominal accuracy of 10 cm. Its primary objective is to produce a global geodetic grid for the Moon to which all other observations can be precisely referenced.