Onboard science software enabling future space science and space weather missions

On the path towards an operational Space Weather System are science missions involving as many as 100 spacecraft (Magnetospheric Constellation, DRACO, 2010). Multiple spacecraft are required to measure the macro, meso, and micro scale plasma physics that underlies Geospace phenomena. To be feasible, however, multiple spacecraft missions must be no more costly to operate than single spacecraft missions are today. Furthermore, communication availability places severe constraints on an entire mission architecture and hampers the resolution, coverage, timeliness, and hence, usefulness of spacecraft data. To address some of these constraints, we have been studying the possibility of performing some science data processing functions on board a pathfinding mission in NASA´s Solar-Terrestrial Probe Line, Magnetospheric Multi Scale (MMS, 2008). Our multi level approach to developing an onboard science analysis system for potential use onboard the MMS mission will enhance MMS science by improving sensor coverage and by returning to Earth high-resolution data that would otherwise be discarded or not generated. Results of our work using Space Physics data sets from previous missions illustrate our approach.