Cluster Of Satellites To Study Effects Of Solar Wind

BigTed writes: "An international effort involving four satellites is set to study the effect of the Sun and the solar wind on the Earth's magnetosphere. This mission (Cluster II) is trying to achieve what Cluster I failed to do in 1996.
Yesterday the first pair of satellites were given the go ahead to launch in Russia (see the semi-live coverage)."

hmm...

[Zurk]

is that really advertising [esa.int] i see on the side of the rocket ?

A little background..

[mattc]

The original Cluster mission and the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) together comprised the Solar Terrestrial Science Programme (STSP), the first 'Cornerstone' of ESA's Horizons 2000 Programme. These two missions were selected at the same time to investigate the relation between the Sun and the Earth's environment.

Since its successful launch in December 1995 SOHO has been providing fascinating new information on the effect of the Sun and the solar wind on the Earth's magnetosphere. The approval of the complete Cluster II mission means that the original STSP objectives can be fulfilled, especially now that SOHO's lifetime has been extended.

Together the two STSP missions will answer questions about an entire chain of processes: right from the Sun's very interior down to the Earth's magnetosphere. Their results will also be combined with a number of other missions within the framework of the IACG, the Inter-Agency Consultative Group.

The goals of the Cluster II mission are identical to those of the original Cluster mission lost in June 1996 and the instrument complement remains the same. The Cluster II mission is an in-situ investigation of the Earth's magnetosphere using four identical spacecraft simultaneously. It will permit the accurate determination of three-dimensional and time-varying phenomena and will make it possible to distinguish between spatial and temporal variations.