Cluster Status Report - November 2004
EDI on C2 was tested for sensor temperatures during long eclipses without heating. The temperature observed was around -30 degrees, which is in line with the thermal model. The four spacecraft have just passed the long eclipses without problems. A new procedure using only 4 batteries fully charged and one in empty storage to prevent any further degradation has been successfully implemented.
Operations and Archiving
JSOC and ESOC operations are continuing nominally. JSOC now also co-ordinates the operations with Double Star - scheduling burst mode operations for times of magnetic conjunction between Cluster and Double Star.
The Cluster Active Archive is progressing well. The CAA hardware has now been set-up and first test data have been ingested. Visits to PI institutes are being made to discuss the ICD and the data products.
Preparations for the Cluster extension continue. The main scientific goal during the extension will be to attempt the first multi-scale observations and to visit new regions of the magnetosphere.
Science Highlights
A paper on Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices observed at the magnetopause was published in Nature on 12 August. Surface waves have been observed before, but this is the first time that we observe the roll-up of the waves using the four Cluster spacecraft. This result has great impact in Sun-Earth interaction since it is one of the processes believes to make the solar wind plasma enter the magnetosphere.
A special issue of Annales Geophysicae on the 5th Cluster workshop held last year was published in July. It contained 33 papers on Cluster results.