XClose

UCL Department of Space and Climate Physics

Home
Menu

Cluster II

Cluster II PEACE

6 August 2018

Launched in the summer of 2000, Cluster II is part of the Solar Terrestrial Science Programme Cornerstone (together with SOHO) of ESA's Horizon 2000 programme. The quartet of Cluster spacecraft orbit the Earth exploring the magnetosphere and solar wind close to Earth.

YouTube Widget Placeholderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fr8V_aawFs

 

Each Cluster spacecraft has a suite of instruments to study the waves, fields and particles in the magnetosphere. Part of that suite is the PEACE instruments. Two PEACE sensors on each spacecraft measure the 3D velocity distributions of the electrons that make up part of the space plasma surrounding the Earth. 

YouTube Widget Placeholderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7asE1oanNI

 

The PEACE instrument was designed and built by MSSL. MSSL are responsible for the operation of the instruments and the processing and calibration of the raw instrument data. These data are then delivered to the Cluster Active Archive to enable scientists from around the world to participate in the analysis of Cluster data. Prof. Andrew Fazakerley is the instrument's Principal Investigator.

PEACE is one part of a family of particle detectors developed for investigating a range of space plasmas. Instruments based on the heritage of PEACE have been flown on Cassini and are proposed to fly on the future Solar Orbiter mission.