NASA is moving forward with the next phase of a Dartmouth-led mission that aims to unlock the secrets of global energy circulation in Earth’s magnetosphere, which powers intense magnetic storms, explosive substorms, and spectacular aurora.
The mission will be awarded approximately $28 million to enter a 10-month second phase of development, which includes planning and design for flight and mission operations, NASA announced on Dec. 11.
The Cross-Scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora mission, or CINEMA, will be led by Robyn Millan, the Margaret Anne and Edward Leede ’49 Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy. As part of NASA’s Heliophysics Small Explorer program, the initiative will develop nine small spacecraft for the space agency’s heliophysics mission fleet. If selected to continue after Phase B, CINEMA will launch no earlier than 2030.
The fleet is a network of spacecraft strategically positioned throughout Earth’s solar system to observe and map out the interconnected flow of energy and particles between the sun and its planets, including Earth.
Dartmouth will lead teams of researchers across multiple institutions, and the mission will be managed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. The effort includes the design and construction of three instruments on each of the nine spacecraft that will collect data on the structure and evolution of Earth’s plasma sheet. This dense sheet of space plasma in the magnetic tail, or magnetotail, that flows behind Earth as it orbits plays a central role in controlling explosive releases of energy.
NASA chose to move forward with CINEMA after the Dartmouth-led team spent more than a year completing a competitive concept study alongside three other small explorer mission concepts.
“Earth’s magnetosphere is among the most dynamic systems studied in heliophysics. With its constellation of instruments, CINEMA would be the first mission to provide a cross-scale view of Earth’s magnetotail and aurora,” Millan says.
“CINEMA’s innovative multi-spacecraft approach will give us a perspective on Earth’s magnetotail that we’ve never had before, opening the door to discoveries that will meaningfully advance our understanding of the Sun-Earth system,” she says.
Earth’s magnetotail stores massive amounts of energy that it releases regularly, sending energy and particles toward the planet’s atmosphere to generate spectacular auroral shows like the Northern Lights, Millan says. Sometimes, this release appears gradual and steady. Other times, it’s sudden and explosive. Exactly when and how the tail releases the stored energy remains a mystery.
“The CINEMA mission will help us to research magnetic convection in Earth’s magnetosphere—a critical piece of the puzzle in understanding why some space weather events are so influential, such as causing magnificent aurora displays and impacts to ground- and space-based infrastructure, and others seem to fizzle out,” Joe Westlake, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, says in the announcement.
Ryan Hickox, the chair and a professor of physics and astronomy, says the department “is thrilled to be serving as the primary institution for CINEMA” under Millan’s leadership.
“This exciting project builds on Dartmouth’s legacy of excellence in space and plasma physics, including previous NASA missions led by Robyn and other Dartmouth faculty,” he says. “CINEMA will open a groundbreaking new window into the Earth’s magnetosphere and provide amazing opportunities for Dartmouth faculty, staff, and students to engage with cutting-edge NASA science.”
In addition to mission implementation and management, the Applied Physics Lab will design two of the three instruments. The third instrument is being developed with Millan’s oversight by the Space Sciences Laboratory at University of California, and the Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory.
“CINEMA provides a critical tool to aid our understanding of space weather,” says Bobby Braun, head of APL’s Space Exploration Sector. “We’re thrilled that NASA recognizes the scientific value CINEMA will deliver, and we’re excited to start working with our partners to implement this mission.”