NASA has selected two groundbreaking space missions to advance towards flight design and launch, with one aimed at unlocking the mysteries of Earth's magnetosphere and the other focused on diagnosing the root causes of solar eruptions.
The CINEMA (Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora) mission concept has been chosen for Phase B development, a crucial step that involves planning, design, and mission operations. Led by principal investigator Robyn Millan from Dartmouth College, CINEMA seeks to investigate the complex flow of plasma energy into Earth's magnetosphere, which is characterized by unpredictable dynamics and drives phenomena such as fast plasma jets, global electrical current systems, and spectacular auroral displays.
By launching a constellation of nine small satellites in polar low Earth orbit, CINEMA aims to connect energetic activity in the large-scale magnetic structure to visible signatures like aurora in the ionosphere. The mission will utilize a combination of instruments, including an energetic particle detector, auroral imager, and magnetometer, to gather data that will improve our understanding of space weather events' impacts on humans and technology across the solar system.
The $28 million budget allocated for Phase B represents just a fraction of the total cost of the mission, which is expected to exceed $182.8 million. Launching as early as 2030, CINEMA aims to make critical breakthroughs in heliophysics research.
On the other hand, NASA has also selected the CMEx (Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer) mission for an extended Phase A study, which will assess and refine its design for potential future consideration. Led by principal investigator Holly Gilbert from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, CMEx seeks to diagnose lower layers of the Sun's chromosphere to understand the origin of solar eruptions and determine the magnetic sources of the solar wind.
Using proven UV spectropolarimetric instrumentation demonstrated during NASA's CLASP sub-orbital sounding rocket flight, CMEx aims to improve our understanding of the complex interplay between the Sun's atmosphere and its impact on space weather events. With an extended Phase A study costing $2 million for 12 months, CMEx is set to make significant contributions to the field of heliophysics research.
Both missions are poised to revolutionize our understanding of space weather events and their impacts on our planet and beyond. As NASA Acting Associate Flight Director Asal Naseri noted, "Space plays a role in just about everything we do," and these mission concepts have the potential to improve our ability to predict solar events that could harm satellites and astronauts near Earth, at the Moon, or Mars.
The CINEMA (Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora) mission concept has been chosen for Phase B development, a crucial step that involves planning, design, and mission operations. Led by principal investigator Robyn Millan from Dartmouth College, CINEMA seeks to investigate the complex flow of plasma energy into Earth's magnetosphere, which is characterized by unpredictable dynamics and drives phenomena such as fast plasma jets, global electrical current systems, and spectacular auroral displays.
By launching a constellation of nine small satellites in polar low Earth orbit, CINEMA aims to connect energetic activity in the large-scale magnetic structure to visible signatures like aurora in the ionosphere. The mission will utilize a combination of instruments, including an energetic particle detector, auroral imager, and magnetometer, to gather data that will improve our understanding of space weather events' impacts on humans and technology across the solar system.
The $28 million budget allocated for Phase B represents just a fraction of the total cost of the mission, which is expected to exceed $182.8 million. Launching as early as 2030, CINEMA aims to make critical breakthroughs in heliophysics research.
On the other hand, NASA has also selected the CMEx (Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer) mission for an extended Phase A study, which will assess and refine its design for potential future consideration. Led by principal investigator Holly Gilbert from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, CMEx seeks to diagnose lower layers of the Sun's chromosphere to understand the origin of solar eruptions and determine the magnetic sources of the solar wind.
Using proven UV spectropolarimetric instrumentation demonstrated during NASA's CLASP sub-orbital sounding rocket flight, CMEx aims to improve our understanding of the complex interplay between the Sun's atmosphere and its impact on space weather events. With an extended Phase A study costing $2 million for 12 months, CMEx is set to make significant contributions to the field of heliophysics research.
Both missions are poised to revolutionize our understanding of space weather events and their impacts on our planet and beyond. As NASA Acting Associate Flight Director Asal Naseri noted, "Space plays a role in just about everything we do," and these mission concepts have the potential to improve our ability to predict solar events that could harm satellites and astronauts near Earth, at the Moon, or Mars.
I think this is gonna be so cool! Two new space missions from NASA are on the way 
. First one, CINEMA, is all about figuring out why our planet's magnetosphere does what it does 
. Like, have you ever seen a sick aurora display in the sky? That's because of this mission! They're launching nine tiny satellites into space to get some answers 
. And if they succeed, we'll know way more about how solar storms affect our tech and even astronauts on other planets 
. It's all about studying the sun's atmosphere to understand why it sometimes gets super angry and causes solar eruptions 
. This mission could help us predict those big space weather events that can harm our satellites and astronauts in space 
. Both missions are gonna be huge for heliophysics research 
. Can't wait for 2030 when CINEMA launches and gets us closer to understanding the universe better 
do you think we'll actually get to see any results from this cinema mission? 
like, what even is that? and then there's solar eruptions too 
️ does anyone know if that's related to the weather or something? 
also i wonder why we need 9 satellites in space to study it - can't they just send one 
.
.
.
I'm hyped to see NASA's focus on space weather events! We need more research on how solar eruptions affect our planet and beyond 
. CINEMA's constellation of small satellites is genius - it'll help us understand those unpredictable dynamics in the magnetosphere and aurora displays 
!
! CINEMA's focus on the magnetosphere and aurora is really interesting to me, I mean who wouldn't want to understand more about those epic light shows in the sky? 
about our magnetosphere. I mean, can you imagine being able to predict solar eruptions better? It could literally save lives and prevent massive tech failures 
. They're trying to figure out what triggers solar eruptions, which could have huge implications for space travel and our overall understanding of the universe 
. We need to know more about space weather events 'cause they can mess with our tech and affect humans in space. NASA's on it, and I'm hyped for 2030 launch date 
. Let's hope these missions make some major breakthroughs in heliophysics research 
!
Two new missions that could unlock the secrets of our magnetosphere and solar eruptions. I mean, who needs a better understanding of space weather events when you can just stay indoors during a solar flare and play some board games? 
But seriously, these missions are gonna be HUGE. I'm talking, 'the universe will finally make sense' kind of huge 
. The CINEMA mission is like the ultimate puzzle solver, trying to connect the dots between our magnetosphere and those gorgeous aurora displays... meanwhile CMEx is all, "Hey, let's figure out why the Sun gets all cranky" 
the more i think about it, the more excited i get! these two missions are super cool, like, who wouldn't want to learn more about the earth's magnetosphere? 
imagine being able to predict solar eruptions and knowing exactly what's gonna happen with our tech and astronauts. its not just about us tho, this could also help other countries and space agencies too! 
NASA's new missions are gonna unlock some crazy secrets about space! 
. 
. They're super important because they can affect our tech and even harm astronauts on other planets 
.
, especially with this CINEMA mission concept. The more we know about space weather events' impacts on humans & tech, the better equipped we'll be to prepare for potential disruptions. These satellites will help connect the dots between magnetic structures and auroral displays - mind blown!