caf_0264 : Sentinels of the Heliosphere

Short Description: 
This scientific visualization shows the intricate orbits of NASA's fleet of solar observing spacecraft using accurate relative positions and velocities of spacecraft, planetary bodies and stars, illustrating vast ranges of spatial and temporal scales.

Long Description: 
Heliophysics, the science of the Sun and it's connections to the solar system, is complex and daunting. The Sun's influence is present through vast reaches of space extending beyond our most distant space probes. The structures formed by the Sun's interaction with planetary bodies are staggeringly huge.  The Sun's interaction with the Earth's magnetic field creates Earth's magnetosphere, a massive structure that protects us from harmful solar particles.

NASA studies heliophysics using a fleet of specialized spacecraft that make measurements from many different, carefully chosen orbits around Earth and throughout the solar system.  Some instruments observe the Sun and some study interaction phenomena between the Sun and the planets.  Studying these phenomena by flying spacecraft through them is analogous to studying an invisible hurricane by flying aircraft through it.  We get critical, detailed, in-situ data, but only from where the sensors currently are.  Therefore, we sometimes fly clusters of spacecraft to get measurements from close-by positions to help understand the dynamics.

This visualization shows the elaborate orbits of the spacecraft in NASA's heliosphysics fleet.  Some of the spacecraft are in near-Earth orbit, others are in more exotic orbits about a Lagrange point, and still others are departing the solar system.  Data from these many vantage points are critical to the science of heliophysics.  The visualization was created using a series of custom Python and Maya scripts and Renderman shaders that process and accurately display spacecraft and planetary ephermerides based on time.

Credits:

Created by
Scientific Visualization Studio
NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

Director
Greg Shirah

Producer
Dr. Horace Mitchell

Visualizers
Greg Shirah
Ernie Wright
Dr. Tom Bridgman
Dr. Horace Mitchell
Trent Schindler
Cindy Starr

Science Advisors
Dr. Jeffrey Hayes
Jennifer Rumburg

NASA Public Affairs
Rani Gran

Script & Narration
Michael Starobin

Editor
Stuart Snodgrass

IT Systems Support
James W. Williams

Audio Design & Mixing
Michael Starobin
Mike Velle

Database Management
Joycelyn Jones

Data Providers
  • Spacecraft ephemeris courtesy of
    the NASA/GSFC SSCweb and
    NASA/JPLHorizons.

  • Blue Marble MODIS data composite
    courtesy of NASA/GSFC MODIS
    Science Team and NASA's Earth
    Observatory, Reto Stockli, SSAI, Inc.

 • Cloud composite textures courtesy of
    NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

  • Hipparcos and Tycho star catalogues
    courtesy of the European Space Agency.

  • Sea ice data courtesy of NASA’s
    AMSR-E team.

Music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 29, 1st Movement
Shockwave-Sound.com