About NASA ’ s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)

SMARTAbout NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)

MAGNETIC RECONNECTION is a little-understood physical process at the heart of space weather. It can spark solar flares, cause coronal mass ejections and other phenomena that can imperil Earth-orbiting spacecraft and disrupt power grids on Earth.

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Much of what we know about the physics of Magnetic Reconnection comes from theoretical studies and computer models.

MMS will study this process in situ, measuring magnetic fields crossing, reconnecting, and releasing magnetic energy in the form of heat and charged-particle kinetic energy.

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The MMS-FIELDS instruments will measure the electric and magnetic fields with unprecedented high (millisecond) time resolution and accuracy.

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Development of the MMS-FIELDS instrument suite is centered in Durham at the

University of New Hampshire’s Space Science Center

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Illustration: One of four MMS spacecraft with the FIELDS instruments identified

SMART SDP

Spin-Plane Double Probe

Electric Field Measurements

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One of four SDP deployers that will be on each of the four MMS spacecraft

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The Spin-plane Double Probe (SDP) consists of four 60-meter wire booms with spherical sensors at the end.

Specially coated Titanium hemispheres form each SDPs E-Field probe.

These are provided to UNH by our colleagues in Sweden (KTH and IRFU) and Finland (University of Oulu)

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SMARTSDP Preamplifier

The SDP doors and preamplifiers are

provided to UNH by our colleagues at the

University of Colorado (LASP)

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The electronics to operate the SDP and process its E-field measurement are provided to UNH by

our colleagues in Sweden (KTH)

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The mechanical design, fabrication, assembly and test of the SDP deployers is the responsibility of engineers at UNH

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SMART ADPAxial Double

Probe

Electric Field Measurement

The ADP consists of two 12-meter antennas deployed axially near the spacecraft spin axis.

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The Axial Double Probe (ADP) consists of two 12-meter antennas deployed axially near the spacecraft spin axis.

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The design, fabrication, assembly and test of the ADP is the responsibility of our colleagues at the

University of Colorado (LASP)

The photo shows one of two 12-meter

extensible booms on

each spacecraft

deployed from its stowed

configuration in a small canister

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ADP deployment test

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ADP Launch Latches

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ADP Preamplifiers

SMARTADP Receiving Elements

These 2-meter antennas launch

in this folded configuration.

Each will deploy on-orbit atop a 12-meter extensible

boom.

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Thermal Vacuum test preparation for

ADP Receiving Elements

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Vibration test preparation for a pair of ADP Receiving Elements

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SMARTADP Receiving Element Hinges

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The electronics to process the ADP E-field measurement are provided by our colleagues in

Sweden (KTH) and calibrated with the booms by our colleagues at the University of Colorado (LASP)

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ADP Receiving Element testing in the clean room at the University of Colorado

SMART EDIElectron Drift

Instrument

Electric and Magnetic Field Measurements

SMARTEDI Measurement Principle

The EDI determines the electric and magnetic fields by measuring the drift of ~1

keV electrons emitted from a pair of Gun Detector Units (GDU). Each GDU sends

and receives a coded beam to and from the other EDI-

GDU. The University of New Hampshire, in collaboration with the Space Research Institute of the Austrian

Academy of Sciences (IWF) and the University of Iowa, provides the The EDI GDU

and electronics.

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Setup for testing of the EDI Gun

Detector Unit (GDU) in the UNH vacuum

chamber

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Electron Gun Electronics (IWF, Austria)

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Calibration of the EDI Gun and electronics in the vacuum chamber at IWF (Austria)

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EDI GDU Assembly in the Clean Room at UNH

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EDI Sensor Stack (UNH)

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SCMSearch Coil

Magnetometer

AC Magnetic Field Measurement

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measure the 3-axis AC magnetic field and will be used with the ADP and SDP to determine the contribution of plasma waves to the turbulent dissipation occurring in the diffusion region.

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SCM Development is at LPP, the Laboratory for Plasma Physics (France)

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This magnetically-quiet facility was built by LPP at Chambon la Forêt (France) for calibration of the Search Coil Magnetometers. The only metal in this building are the copper coils on these rings for controlling the magnetic field environment of the sensor in calibration at the center.

SMART AFG& DFGAnalog & Digital

Fluxgate Magnetometers

DC Magnetic Field Measurement

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UCLA and the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IWF) provide the AFG and DFG

sensors and electronics with calibration support from the Technical University of Braunschweig (TU-BS, Germany).

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Two magnetometers provide redundant measurements of the DC magnetic field and

structure in the diffusion region.

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Magnetometer sensors (AFG, DFG, SCM) for one MMS spacecraft in a test setup at UNH

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The 3-layer magnetic shield can is needed to isolate the magnetometers from the Earth’s magnetic field for testing in the laboratory

SMART CEBCentral

Electronics Box

The CEB provides power, control and data processing for the suite of FIELDS sensors. The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH, Sweden) provides the power supply. The University of New Hampshire provides the CEB and the software with contributions from the sensor team institutions: KTH, LASP, UCLA and IWF.

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CEB Thermal Vacuum test at UNH

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Low Voltage Power Supply. 1of 8 custom-made electronics boards in each CEB

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The first flight model CEB on the vibration table

SMARTTitleFIELDS suite testing at UNH

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UNH MMS-FIELDS Team

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Flight instrumentation integration and test is underway NOW at UNH

The first of four FIELDS instrument suites will be delivered from UNH to NASA in May 2012.

MMS-FIELDS is the largest research contract ever awarded to UNH.

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