Geospace Dynamics Constellation

  • Released Thursday, October 21, 2021
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"Moonstone," by Rainman [PRS]; Atmosphere; Universal Production Music

Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) is a mission concept to study the coupling between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere/thermosphere (IT) system, and how that coupled system responds to external energy input. GDC will address crucial scientific questions pertaining to the dynamic processes active in Earth’s upper atmosphere; their local, regional, and global structure; and their role in driving and modifying magnetospheric activity. GDC will be the first mission to address these questions on a global scale due to its use of a constellation of spacecraft that permit simultaneous multi-point observations. This investigation is central to understanding the basic physics and chemistry of the upper atmosphere and its interaction with Earth’s magnetosphere, but also will produce insights into space weather processes.

Concept animation of Geospace Dynamics Constellation orbiting Earth through the upper atmosphere. Please credit NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab

Credits

Please give credit for the finished video to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center & Conceptual Image Lab
Additional footage courtesy of ULA, Pond5 and Artbeats

This page was originally published on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:43 PM EDT.

Missions

This visualization is related to the following missions: