HR: 0800h
AN: SA51A-0239    [Abstracts]
TI: Energetic Neutral Atom observations from Low Earth Orbit
AU: * DeMajistre, R
EM: bob.demajistre@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723,
AU: Brandt, P
EM: Pontus.brandt@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723,
AU: Roelof, E
EM: ed.roelof@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723,
AU: Mithcell, D
EM: don.g.mitchell@jhuapl.edu
AF: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723,
AB: In recent years, space based measurements of Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENA) have yielded new insights into the behavior of the Earth's inner magnetosphere. Instruments aboard the IMAGE spacecraft have taken the bulk of these useful ENA measurements from a polar vantage point near its apogee at 7 Earth radii. In this work, we will show that the techniques that have been applied to the high altitude observations of IMAGE can be adapted to observations made in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In addition to mission cost (i.e., launch cost, less stressing radiation environment), there are several advantages to making ENA observations from LEO - including finer local time resolution and the ability to reduce seasons of poor viewing and periods of observation interruptions (e.g., radiation belt passes) that are common for platforms in highly elliptical orbits. We present energetic ion distribution retrievals derived from simulations of Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) observations from LEO. These simulations show that a large portion of the inner magnetosphere can be observed from a single spacecraft and that quantitative results can be obtained from LEO. We also demonstrate that useful results can be obtained even in cases where the magnetic field topology is not known exactly.
DE: 2730 Magnetosphere: inner
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions (2431)
DE: 2778 Ring current
DE: 2794 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting