National Aeronautics and Space Administration
ADVANCED COMPOSITION EXPLORER
Studying Near-Earth Space
The Advanced Composition Explorer, or ACE, observes of radiation— and measures magnetic fields and particles in space, from the Sun, from a vantage point approximately 1/100 of the dis- from the solar tance from Earth to the Sun. Studying these energetic system, from particles contributes to NASA’s goal of understanding the galaxy— the very nature of space, which provides information that streams useful for protecting astronauts during space travel, as by. None of well as shedding light on the origins and evolution of this radiation the solar system. Thanks in part to ACE data, we now can harm hu- have a much better understanding of the zoo of space mans on Earth, particles and what causes their motion. but the biggest Artist conception of NASA’s Advanced Com- bursts of par- position Explorer. Credit: NASA Launched in 1997, ACE continues to provide key ticles from the Sun can flow into near-Earth space research about the space environment near Earth. causing a dynamic space weather system that can Its nine instruments were designed to observe the damage satellites and interfere with radio communi- wide range of particles in space, differentiating cation transmissions and navigation systems. We can between various elements, energies and charges. see such bursts erupt from afar, and even determine ACE was launched with two jobs: determine where if they are headed toward Earth—but it’s ACE that different types of particles originated and learn how feels them first, some 20 to 60 minutes before they they gained extra speed, since a large number of the impact Earth to provide us information about how individual particles in space are traveling faster than strong they were. ACE observations continue to be scientists would expect based solely on the tem- used by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric perature of the material, suggesting that additional Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. acceleration processes must be at work.
ACE is also capable of providing near-real-time ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: solar wind and magnetic field information that aids in forecasting space weather. ACE long served as Mission Project Home Page: Earth’s vanguard keeping an eye on space weather, http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ and paving the way for NOAA’s DSCOVR, which ACE Research: http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ launched in 2015 to take over day-to-day operations. ACENews/ACENews_Archives.html
Orbiting around a point 900,000 miles away between ACE Data: http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ASC/ the Earth and our Sun, ACE records the combination FS-2019-??-???-GSFC www.nasa.gov