Heliophysics and Planetary Science Branch
The Heliophysics and Planetary Science Branch studies the coupled Sun-Earth system and the terrestrial planets and icy satellites of our solar system. Our heliophysics portfolio includes instrumentation development, sounding rocket flight, and research focusing on energy transfer across physical scales throughout the solar atmosphere. Our planetary science portfolio includes research on the origin, composition, and evolution of terrestrial planetary bodies, focusing on geological, geophysical, and related models, experiments, and observations conducted in the field, laboratory, and via analysis of remotely sensed data from space-based missions.
A paper entitled “Can Emission Measure Distributions Derived from Extreme-ultraviolet Images Accurately Constrain High Temperature Plasma?” by P.S. Athiray and Amy Winebarger (ST13) has been published by the Astrophysical Journal on 1/25/24. This paper demonstrates the inability of EUV imagers …
Paper Published Demonstrating the Power of X-ray Spectroscopy Read More »
The Hi-C Flare payload passed its Pre-Ship Review on 1/8/24 and is now at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) for integration with a Blank Brandt IX sounding rocket. Hi-C Flare is a suite of experiments designed to observe high-energy …
Alphonse Sterling (ST13)) is lead author on a paper describing coronal jets in solar active regions. The paper is entitled: “Solar Active Region Coronal Jets. III. Hidden-onset Jets,” and appears in The Astrophysical Journal 2024, 960, 109. Read the paper …
Papers on Solar Jets and Potential Solar Mission Published Read More »
MSFC’s Charge Analyzer Responsive to Local Oscillations (CARLO) has been selected by an internal working group as the primary science instrument for a polar low-altitude terrestrial space weather mission concept. On 1/26/24, Linda Habash Krause (ST13) attended the first of …
MSFC’s CARLO Instrument Invited for Mission Concept by COSPAR IMPACT Working Group Read More »
On 12/20/23, the Japanese Aerospace Agency (JAXA) conducted a series of special operations that reset the rotation speed of the Hinode momentum wheel (MW). The primary purpose of this exercise was to reduce/dampen disturbances to the Solar Optical Telescope focal …
Hinode Attitude and Control System (AOCS) Maintenance Operation Read More »