NASA selects Magnetospheric MultiScale Instrument Suite team

Erica Hupp/Dolores Beasley
Headquarters, Washington May 3, 2005
(Phone: 202/358-1237/1753)
RELEASE: 05-112

NASA SELECTS MAGNETOSPHERIC MULTISCALE INSTRUMENT SUITE TEAM

NASA selected the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Instrument Suite team
led by Dr. James L. Burch of Southwest Research Institute (SRI), San
Antonio, to work with the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) MMS Project in
mission formulation. The proposed cost of the instrument suite for MMS
mission formulation was $140 million.

The MMS mission is scheduled for launch in 2013. The mission will employ
four identically instrumented spacecraft to make coordinated high-resolution
observations of fundamental plasma physical processes in the Earth's
magnetosphere, the region in space closest to the planet.

"MMS results will directly contribute to understanding the sun and its
effects on Earth, the solar system, and the space environment human
explorers will experience," said NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator of
the Science Mission Directorate Ghassem Asrar. "Because the Earth's
magnetosphere is the only accessible laboratory we have in which to study
this fundamental astrophysical process, what we learn from MMS will also
have broad application to our studies of the universe," he said.

NASA received two proposals in response to the MMS Announcement of
Opportunity. They were evaluated on scientific and technical merit and
feasibility. Both proposing teams were selected to conduct a six-month
implementation-feasibility study focusing on cost, management, technical
plans, educational outreach and small business involvement. Based on results
of these studies, NASA selected the SRI team to continue instrument suite
definition in support of mission formulation activities leading to an
initial confirmation review for MMS early in 2006. For information about
NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probe program on the Web, visit:
http://stp.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For more information on the Southwest Research Institute on the Web, visit:

http://www.swri.edu

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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info