The Fast Plasma Investigation on the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

Launched in March 2015, the Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) instrument suite on the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) is producing the highest time and spatial resolution 3D electron and ion particle distribution function measurements to date. During FPI science operations, the four spacecraft maintain a tetrahedral formation such that 3D measurements of the plasma and field gradients are enabled. This allows the spacecraft to better investigate reconnection and to distinguish between spatial and temporal structures. In the first three months, we expect to observe magnetic phenomena such as dipolarization fronts, the plasma sheet boundary layer, magnetopause crossings, ion dispersive signatures of from remote reconnection sites, and magnetic holes. This poster is intended to supplement the invited talk on FPI results by Pollock et al. by providing further detail of the instrumentation and calibration, as well as a sampling of early magnetospheric plasma observations in the evening-side magnetotail, dusk flank, and afternoon magnetopause.