The Cluster II Mission
For the first time in the history of space exploration, four identical
spacecraft have been despatched to explore the invisible magnetic
"bubble" that surrounds our planet - the magnetosphere.
Dozens of instruments on board the Cluster quartet have now begun
to `map' this region in unprecedented detail.
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| Over the next two years, Cluster will provide
a unique, three-dimensional view of the battleground between
the Earth and our nearest star. Hundreds of scientists around
the world are eagerly waiting to analyse this treasure trove
of data. |
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- Cluster Spacecraft
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The four Cluster spacecraft carry identical sets of 11 scientific
instruments. They are designed to study space weather inside and
outside the region influenced by Earth's magnetic field - the magnetosphere.
By using the same instruments on all four spacecraft, scientists
will obtain the first detailed, three-dimensional picture of what
happens within different regions of the Earth's magnetic shield.
- taken from the ESA
Cluster homepage
Cluster and DWP
Designed and built by the Space Systems Team, The Digital Wave Processor (DWP) provides flexible on-board control
for the Wave
Experiment Consoritum (WEC) instruments.
The DWP is responsible for co-ordinating WEC operations at several
levels At the lowest level the DWP provides elecrical signals to
synchronise instrument sampling. At higher levels, DWP time tags
data in a consistent manner and provides a facility for constructing
more complex WEC modes by means of macros.
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The processing system
within the DWP also performs particle and wave/paritcle correlations
in order to permit the direct study of wave/paritcle interactions.
Dr Alleyne is the Principal Investigator (PI) of this project.
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- DWP
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