Schedule Notes Viewer Vn 3.2

ESR: ICICHICREX 2019 12 08 0630 - 2019 12 08 1200

Scheduled for 0730 - 1130

Description

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Resources: SP(100) [format: <Associate code>(<hours>), eg EI(50)]

Notes

EISCAT experiment in support of three sounding rocket campaigns (ICI-5, CHI 
and C-REX), which are part of the Cusp Grand Challenge Initiative (Cusp 
GCI), a multi-country collaboration (Norway, US, UK, Japan) to combine 
several rocket experiments and other measurements to provide one of the most 
comprehensive cusp ionosphere measurements to date. See more information 
here: https://www.andoyaspace.no/the-grand-challenge-initiative/

CHI will be launched from Ny-Ålesund and deploy eight barium/strontium 
tracer clouds to obtain detailed in-situ plasma drift and neutral wind 
measurements in the cusp near Svalbard. The objective is to better 
understand the neutral upwelling that is now known to be common feature in 
the cusp and the electrodynamic drivers for the phenomenon. Key objectives 
are:
1) Measure the electric fields and electron densities and their spatial 
variations within the cusp region
2) Measure both the horizontal and vertical neutral flow components in the 
same region where the electric fields and electron densities are measured
3) Obtain high-resolution estimates of the Joule heating, including spatial 
and temporal variations, in order to assess the contribution of the heating 
in driving the local upwelling

ICI-5 will be launched from Ny-Ålesund and make multi-point in-situ 
measurements of ionospheric irregularities in the cusp ionosphere. A key 
instrument is the multi-needle Langmuir Probe that has been developed at the 
University of Oslo. A total of 12 daughter payloads will be released from 
the mother payload in order to obtain temporal-spatial information ion 
ionospheric irregularities. Key objectives are:
1) Investigate the time/space variations of plasma irregularity regions 
using multi-point in-situ measurements
2) Quantify instability drivers in the cusp-polar cap ionosphere
3) Investigate the growth and decay rates of instabilities

C-REX will be launched from Andøya Space Center and fly towards Svalbard, 
where it will release 24 bright, colorful and glowing clouds. The clouds 
will be photographed by observers in Svalbard and onboard a NASA aircraft. 
The images will be used to triangulate the position and motion of each 
cloud, in order to derive winds and electric fields in the cusp 
thermosphere.

All three rocket campaigns involve observations from a wide range of ground-
based instruments; the EISCAT Svalbard Radar, optical instruments (KHO, 
NYA), SuperDARN radars, and GNSS scintillation and TEC receivers.

The EISCAT Svalbard Radar will use both antennae (42m field-aligned, and 
32m). Depending on ionospheric conditions at the time, the 32m will either 
be operated in a scan mode or pointed along the rocket track (in a fixed 
direction). Potential experiment modes are taro, folke or steffe. Required 
measurements are electron density, electron/ion temperatures, and ion 
drifts.

EISCAT resources (100 hours TBC):
• 3P(20) – EISCAT PI: Miguel Larsen, Clemson University
• NI(20) – EISCAT PI: Takumi Abe, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• NO(30) – EISCAT PI: Jøran Moen, University of Oslo
• UK(30 TBC) – EISCAT PI: Tim Yeoman, University of Leicester

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