Core and crust from Swarm
EU–(ENEWSPF)–22 June 2015. After a year in orbit, the three Swarm satellites have provided a first glimpse inside Earth and started to shed new light on the dynamics of the upper atmosphere – all the way from the ionosphere about 100 km above, through to the outer reaches of our protective magnetic shield.
A series of scientific papers published recently in Geophysical Research Letters and collected in a special issue, confirms the remarkable potential of this unique mission.
Rune Floberghagen, ESA’s Swarm Mission Manager, said, “These results show that all the meticulous effort that went into making Swarm the best-ever spaceborne magnetometry mission is certainly paying off.”
Swarm is tasked with measuring and untangling the different magnetic signals that stem from Earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere – an undertaking that will take at least four years to complete.
In doing so, the mission will provide insight into many natural processes, from those occurring deep inside the planet through to weather in space caused by solar activity. In turn, this information will yield a better understanding of why the magnetic field is weakening.
