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.
This NASA Request For Information is seeking information on spacecraft system concepts, including innovative approaches, to be combined with other mission elements to facilitate the study and evolution of feasible overall mission architecture concepts for the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission. Concepts that accommodate a partial or full complement of instrument payloads per each spacecraft system will be considered. Consideration will also be given to planned development approaches that deviate from the referenced processes. Information is also sought regarding opportunities for public-private and other partnerships to enable successful development of systems within cost and schedule constraints. Responses should recognize that implementing a system that stays within the allocated budget is an essential programmatic requirement for the U.S. Government. Specifically, three types of responses are sought:1.Response Option 1: Concepts for spacecraft designs and plans for development of the spacecraft that include integration and test with the payload, through launch and commissioning; Response Option 2: Concepts for hosting a partial or full complement of instrument payloads within the architecture of a current or future system; Response Option 3: Concepts for public-private or other partnership options to develop systems to meet mission objectives.
https://lws.gsfc.nasa.gov/missions.htmlQuoteGeospace Dynamics Coupling (GDC)GDC Mission Image Launch Date – No Earlier Than September 2027Phase A – Concept & Technology DevelopmentGeospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) is a mission to study how the ionosphere/thermosphere (IT, or “upper atmosphere”) system responds to energy inputs from the Sun, magnetosphere, and lower atmosphere, and how those energy inputs drive global redistributions of mass, momentum, and energy. GDC will address crucial scientific questions pertaining to the dynamic processes active in Earth's upper atmosphere; their structure at local, regional, and global scales, and the ways in which these processes are driven by the dynamic interplay between the tightly coupled ionized and neutral gases. 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 role as a critical element in the Geospace system. Obtaining this improved understanding of our home in space will give us a baseline for comparison to atmospheres of planets both within and beyond our solar system. Finally, GDC will produce significant advances in the science of space weather, providing key observations that will improve our ability to understand and predict phenomena such as ionospheric radiofrequency interference that can impact GPS and communications systems, geomagnetically induced currents that can damage power transmission systems, and variable orbital drag environments that can impact the lifetimes of satellites In low earth orbit.
Geospace Dynamics Coupling (GDC)GDC Mission Image Launch Date – No Earlier Than September 2027Phase A – Concept & Technology DevelopmentGeospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) is a mission to study how the ionosphere/thermosphere (IT, or “upper atmosphere”) system responds to energy inputs from the Sun, magnetosphere, and lower atmosphere, and how those energy inputs drive global redistributions of mass, momentum, and energy. GDC will address crucial scientific questions pertaining to the dynamic processes active in Earth's upper atmosphere; their structure at local, regional, and global scales, and the ways in which these processes are driven by the dynamic interplay between the tightly coupled ionized and neutral gases. 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 role as a critical element in the Geospace system. Obtaining this improved understanding of our home in space will give us a baseline for comparison to atmospheres of planets both within and beyond our solar system. Finally, GDC will produce significant advances in the science of space weather, providing key observations that will improve our ability to understand and predict phenomena such as ionospheric radiofrequency interference that can impact GPS and communications systems, geomagnetically induced currents that can damage power transmission systems, and variable orbital drag environments that can impact the lifetimes of satellites In low earth orbit.
The GDC mission is currently in formulation and NASA has started assembling the GDC science team with the selection of three GDC Interdisciplinary Scientists: Dr. Rebecca Bishop (The Aerospace Corporation), Professor Yue Deng (University of Texas, Arlington), and Professor Jeffrey Thayer (University of Colorado, Boulder). Each leads teams that will bring their own unique capabilities and contributions to the mission. In early 2022, NASA will select the rest of the science team and the instruments that will fly on the GDC spacecraft.
