View source for Astronomy:Observatory for Heteroscale Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling

The '''Observatory for Heteroscale Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling''' ('''OHMIC''') is a mission concept proposed in 2011 to NASA's Explorers program consisting of a pair of spacecraft flying in formation studying the energy powering [[Astronomy:Space weather|space weather]].  The Principal Investigator for the mission is James Burch of the [[Organization:Southwest Research Institute|Southwest Research Institute]] in San Antonio, Texas.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/sep/HQ_11-328_Science_Proposals.html NASA - NASA Selects Science Investigations For Concept Studies.]</ref>  The concept was not selected for development at that time.

The mission proposed to investigate how magnetospheric electromagnetic energy flows downward to power [[Astronomy:Aurora|aurora]]e,  and study how ion outflows are initiated and modify the underlying [[Astronomy:Ionosphere|ionosphere]].<ref>[https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/images/u33/SWW2012_Giles.pdf Utility of NASA’s Heliophysics Research Fleet for Space Weather Prediction.] (PDF). Barbara Giles, NASA. The 2012 Space Weather Workshop, April 25, 2012; page 11.</ref> Specifically, it would "investigate the coupling of Earth's [[Astronomy:Magnetosphere|magnetosphere]] and ionosphere focusing on the conversion of electromagnetic energy into particle energy in auroral acceleration regions."<ref name='Ergun 2013'> [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFMSM52A..07E The OHMIC Mission]. Ergun, R.; Burch, J. L.; Lotko, W.; Frey, H. U.; Chaston, C. C. ''American Geophysical Union'', Fall Meeting 2013, abstract id.SM52A-07. December 2013.</ref> To this end, the two spacecraft would measure electron distributions, ion distributions, and vector electric and magnetic fields for determining how charged-particle acceleration and injection vary in time and space.<ref name='Ergun 2013'/>

==References==
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{{explorer program}}


[[Category:Explorers Program]]
[[Category:Ionosphere]]
[[Category:Proposed spacecraft]]


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