Tiny Ionospheric Photometer Science Program and Mission Operations on COSMIC

The Tiny Ionospheric Photometer (TIP) sensors aboard the Constellation Observing System for Meterology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) spacecraft comprise a suite of six nadir-viewing ultraviolet photometers for characterizing the Earth's nightside ionosphere. The TIP instruments complement the ionospheric capabilities of the GPS occultation experiment (GOX) by characterizing horizontal ionospheric density gradients. These photometers target OI~135.6~nm emission produced by ionospheric O+ +e recombination and measure ionospheric structure with a spatial resolution of 10--30 km and sensitivity of greater than 300~counts/s/Rayleigh. The satellites initially orbit in the same plane at 450 km, then over the course of 13 months they are individually raised to their final 750~km orbits in six planes separated by 24° in right ascension. This provides opportunities for cross-calibration among the sensors, for multi-pass observations as the satellites orbit together early in the mission, and for observations at different spatial resolutions as the spacecraft operate at different altitudes. TIP data and basic Level 1 data products are processed and disseminated by the COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center (CDAAC) at UCAR. Additionally, advanced algorithms and higher-level data products are generated and disseminated by the TIP operations center at NRL, including ionospheric morphology products, simple ionospheric electron densities, and combined GOX/TIP data products. COSMIC data will also be incorporated into the Utah State University Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) model operating at NRL.