Funding for EZIE comes from the Heliophysics Explorers Program, handled by the Explorers Program Office at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Radical Space Systems will offer launch and release operations.
This illustration reveals the 3 CubeSats of NASAs EZIE mission flying in formation above Earth. The spacecraft will study electrical currents in Earths atmosphere that link modifications in the magnetosphere to effects at the Earths surface area during geomagnetic storms– the exact same storms that set off the vibrant auroral displays. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL
NASAs Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) task– an objective to check out electrical currents in Earths upper environment– has passed a vital developmental milestone, after rigorous evaluation, moving the mission from the design stage to the construction phase.
EZIE will examine auroral electrojets, which are powerful electrical currents flowing roughly 65 miles (100 kilometers) in the air in the ionosphere, an area of Earths environment abundant in ions (charged atoms). These electrojets are connected to the lovely auroras that dance throughout the polar night skies. They become part of a huge electrical circuit streaming in between Earth and the surrounding space, out to some 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) away. The discoveries of EZIE will assist to fix decades-old arguments regarding the structure and development of the electrojets, leading the way for a more comprehensive understanding of Earths space weather– magnetic events in space that can impact our ever increasingly technological society.
The spacecraft will look at light being emitted from oxygen molecules listed below the electrojets at simply 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the surface. Doing this indicates they can obtain the magnetic field produced by the electrojets as they flow and, in turn, detect the electrojets present. This new application of the Zeeman effect will enable researchers to infer the magnetic field produced by an electrojet current in the overlying ionosphere and, in turn, learn how the size and strength of these electrojets change when solar storms affect the magnetosphere.
By Vanessa Thomas, NASAs Goddard Space Flight
July 11, 2022
EZIE will examine auroral electrojets, which are powerful electrical currents flowing around 65 miles (100 kilometers) above the ground in the ionosphere, a region of Earths environment rich in ions (charged atoms). The discoveries of EZIE will help to fix decades-old arguments relating to the structure and evolution of the electrojets, paving the method for a more thorough understanding of Earths space weather condition– magnetic events in space that can impact our ever progressively technological society.
Doing this means they can derive the magnetic field developed by the electrojets as they flow and, in turn, identify the electrojets current. This new application of the Zeeman effect will permit researchers to presume the magnetic field produced by an electrojet existing in the overlying ionosphere and, in turn, learn how the size and strength of these electrojets change when solar storms affect the magnetosphere.
