Studies of the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of the solar corona have been severely limited by the constraint of single viewpoint observations. The Stereo X-Ray Coronal Imager (SXCI) mission will send a single instrument, an X-ray telescope, into deep space expressly to record stereoscopic images of the solar corona. The SXCI spacecraft will be inserted into a ~1 AU heliocentric orbit leading Earth by ~25° at the end of nine months. The SXCI X-ray telescope forms one element of a stereo pair, the second element being an identical X-ray telescope in Earth orbit placed there as part of the NOAA GOES program. X-ray emission is a powerful diagnostic of the corona and its magnetic fields, and three dimensional information on the coronal magnetic structure would be obtained by combining the data from the two X-ray telescopes. This information can be used to address the major solar physics questions of (1) what causes explosive coronal events such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), eruptive flares and prominence eruptions and (2) what causes the transient heating of coronal loops. Stereoscopic views of the optically thin corona will resolve some ambiguities inherent in single line-of-sight observations. Triangulation gives 3D solar coordinates of features which can be seen in the simultaneous images from both telescopes. As part of this study, tools were developed for determining the 3D geometry of coronal features using triangulation. Advanced technologies for visualization and analysis of stereo images were tested. Results of mission and spacecraft studies are also reported.
The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is currently being designed during a Pre-Phase A study in cooperation with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) led team. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation is leading one oftwo competitive GSFC funded Pre-Phase A Studies ofMission Architectures for NGST. The NGST is the next major NASA astronomy mission following HST and SIRTF. NGST will be an observatory providing zodiacal light background limited 1-5 micron imagery and spectroscopy using a passively cooled 6 to 8 meter diameter telescope. The stretch goals specify imagery and spectroscopy in the 5 to 30 micron region and shortward of 1 micron.While emphasizing science return and maintaining simplicity, we have arrived at a configuration ofa highly reliable mission architecture that achieves the desired science including many ofthe stretch science goals. This paper will describe the process and major trades we used to arrive at the system configuration, our current configuration and some ofthe key remaining trade-offs.
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