STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a NASA mission employing two nearly identical space-based observatories - one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind - to providing stereoscopic measurements to study the Sun and the nature of coronal mass ejections. It is to be launched next year for a two year mission.
STEREO's scientific objectives are to:
- Understand the causes and mechanisms of coronal mass ejection (CME) initiation.
- Characterize the propagation of CMEs through the heliosphere.
- Discover the mechanisms and sites of energetic particle acceleration in the low corona and the interplanetary medium.
- Improve the determination of the structure of the ambient solar wind
To accomplish these goals, each STEREO spacecraft will be equipped with sets of optical, radio and in situ particles and fields instruments.
I will provide an overview of the mission, instruments, and science.