PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Astron. Space Sci.
Sec. Space Physics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspas.2025.1620615
This article is part of the Research TopicEnergy Transfer And Exchange With Low-Energy Plasma Via Cross-Energy And Cross-Scale Interactions Throughout The MagnetosphereView all 4 articles
Evolving Plasma Sensors for Future Measurements of Earth's Magnetospheric Cold Plasma
Provisionally accepted
- The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, United States
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Routine measurements of Earth's magnetospheric cold plasma have not occurred on any recent space science mission. This hurdle to cold plasma science progress spans decades, root cause linked to space system and space environment interactions that compromise the conditions for acquiring cold plasma measurements. Focused efforts must still develop and mature techniques, methods, or technologies to overcome the complex sensor operating conditions that arise from these interactions. This Perspective article provides common and recent examples of observed experimental data artifacts caused by spacecraft-or sensor-environment interactions to remind us of the ensuing degradation in accuracy of magnetospheric cold plasma measurements. We then describe one angle of attack leveraging instrument technology development in progress today that can help improve measurement conditions for future sensors. Our Perspective can motivate parallel developments or application of such technologies to future science investigations.
Keywords: magnetosphere, Plasma, Instruments, techniques, methods, Sensors, proliferation
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 18 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lee, Fennell, Lemon, Crain, Crain, Bell and Maul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Justin H. Lee, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, United States
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