Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD): Mission Implementation

The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission of opportunity will fly an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph on a geostationary satellite to measure densities and temperatures in the thermosphere and ionosphere. From this vantage point, GOLD will observe emissions from an entire hemisphere (disk) and the horizon (limb) of the Earth. On the limb stellar occultations will provide information that is not available from the emissions. Analysis of these data will answer four specific science questions: 1. What is the global-scale response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to geomagnetic forcing? 2. What is the global-scale response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to changing EUV radiation? 3. What are the solar & geospace causes of small-scale ionospheric density irregularities? 4. What are the global-scale tidal amplitude and phase variations? Answers to these questions will address the central question of the Living With a Star (LWS) program: What is the global-scale response of the thermosphere and ionosphere to forcing in the integrated Sun-Earth system? This presentation discusses the GOLD measurement approach and describes the GOLD mission implementation, including the instrument design concept, its accommodation to the spacecraft, observation scenarios, and the ground data system.