Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
United States magnetospheric research satellite constellation
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission is a NASA robotic space mission to study the Earth's magnetosphere, using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation. The spacecraft were launched on 13 March 2015 at 02:44 UTC. The mission is designed to gather information about the microphysics of magnetic reconnection, energetic particle acceleration, and turbulence — processes that occur in many astrophysical plasmas. As of March 2020, the MMS spacecraft has enough fuel to remain operational until 2040.
Background
The mission builds upon the premise of the ESA Cluster mission, but MMS instrumentation surpasses it in spatial resolution and in temporal resolution, allowing for the first time measurements of the critical electron diffusion region, the site where magnetic reconnection occurs. Its orbit is optimized to spend extended periods in locations where reconnection is known to occur: at the dayside magnetopause, the place where the pressure from the solar wind and the planets' magnetic field are equal; and in the magnetotail, which is formed by pressure from the solar wind on a planet's magnetosphere and which can extend great distances away from its originating planet.
In order to resolve the three-dimensional structure of magnetic reconnection at varying spatial scales, the four identical MMS spacecraft orbit the Earth in a tetrahedral formation with adjustable separation distances. This enables simultaneous sampling of the plasma and fields at multiple points in space to measure spatial gradients and temporal variations. Such measurements are essential for quantifying terms in Maxwell's equations that describe the evolution of the electromagnetic fields, and makes it possible to distinguish between spatial and temporal structures. The capability for multi-point measurements is crucial for studying magnetic reconnection and cannot be achieved with a single-spacecraft mission.
Magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere is one of the mechanisms responsible for the aurora, and it is important to the science of controlled nuclear fusion because it is one mechanism preventing magnetic confinement of the fusion fuel.
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