Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD): Science Implementation
Abstract
The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) is a NASA mission of opportunity that will image the Earth's thermosphere and ionosphere from geostationary orbit. GOLD will investigate how the thermosphere-ionosphere (T-I) system responds to geomagnetic storms, solar radiation, and upward propagating tides. The mission is framed by four scientific questions: How do geomagnetic storms alter the temperature and composition structure of the thermosphere? What is the global-scale response of the thermosphere to solar extreme-ultraviolet variability? How significant are the effects of atmospheric waves and tides propagating from below on the thermospheric temperature structure? How does the structure of the equatorial ionosphere influence the formation and evolution of equatorial plasma density irregularities? GOLD will address these questions using data from a pair of identical imaging spectrographs designed to observe emissions from atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen in the the far-ultraviolet from 132 to 162 nm. During the day, composition and temperature will be determined using molecular nitrogen Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) band and atomic oxygen 135.6 nm emissions. On the limb, exospheric temperature will be obtained from altitude profiles of LBH emission, and molecular oxygen density will be measured using stellar occultations. Electron density will be derived from 135.6 nm emission at night. This presentation describes the GOLD mission science implementation including the science measurement requirements and the anticipated instrument measurement performance. It also describes the forward modeling approaches used by the GOLD team to validate that the instrument and observing plan will return adequate data to answer the science questions.
- Publication:
-
42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018cosp...42E2219M