How does TIMED fit into NASAs overall science program?
The Sun-Earth Connection (SEC) is one of four principal science themes around which missions within NASA s Office of Space Science are organized. The Sun-Earth Connection focuses largely on explaining the physical processes that link the sun and the Earth. TIMED is the first mission within the Solar Terrestrial Probe Program, which falls under the SEC theme. It will investigate one of the Sun-Earth Connection s quests: How does the Earth s upper atmosphere respond to solar inputs? The Solar Terrestrial Probe Program offers a continuous sequence of flexible, cost-capped missions designed to systematically study the Sun-Earth system. Solar Terrestrial Probe missions will focus on studying the sun and the Earth as an integrated system using a blend of in situ and remote-sensing observations, often from multiple platforms.
