15th SPINE Meeting on the 28th and 29th of September 2009 at ONERA, Toulouse, France.
Purpose
Particular themes are:
- SPIS developments and validation
- Plasma instruments and in-flight demonstrations.
Background
There are, in various stages of execution and planning, various studies that use and update the SPIS simulation software. This is extending the capability of the code and it is important that the community is kept informed of these changes. At the same time, the validation of the code is becoming more critical as the range of applications increases.
Plasma instruments are being flown and are planned for a number of scientific missions, including Cosmic Vision candidates. In addition, ESA’s SSA (Space Situational Awareness)programme includes the definition of plasma instruments for future Space Weather Monitoring. Such monitors need to consume few spacecraft resources but be well qualified. Novel space plasma technologies for generation of thrust and/or power, such as tethers, are also at the stage where in-flight testing is required. Hence there is a need to consider possible flight opportunities for instrument testing and technology demonstration.