Concept information
Preferred term
Cluster
Definition
- Cluster is the first constellation of four scientific spacecraft to study the Earth-Sun connection in three dimensions. Cluster offers unique opportunities to investigate physical processes in near-Earth space. Those processes are essential to study and understand the effects of the Sun on the vast Earth’s environment that is a highly varying system both in time and space. The four Cluster spacecraft in a polar orbit are unique in their ability to obtain a three-dimensional picture of medium and large-scale plasma structures. The varying Cluster spacecraft formation from 3 km to a few tens of thousands kilometres along the orbit enables multi-point local measurements of different regions at different scales that cannot be done with any other space mission. Escoubet, C.P., et al., The Cluster mission, Ann. Geophys., 19, 1197, 2001; https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-19-1197-2001 Escoubet, C.P, et al., Cluster - Science and Mission Overview, Space Sci. Rev., 79, 11-32, 1997; https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004923124586 (en)
Broader concept
- Heliophysics (en)
URI
https://data.esa.int/esado/missionCluster
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Description