Scientific and Technical Discovery at the Millstone Hill Geospace Facility

该奖项是为了维护和运营马萨诸塞州韦斯特福德的磨石山天文台（MHO）。MHO位于麻省理工学院的干草堆天文台，该天文台已经被该研究所使用了几十年。该站点包括两个2.5MW UHF发射机，一个固定天顶68米直径天线和一个46米全可操纵天线。1958年，超高频雷达由麻省理工学院林肯实验室为美国空军建造，用于弹道导弹和卫星跟踪。1974年，NSF开始支持高层大气的雷达操作研究。这两种非相干散射雷达的功率和频率在世界上仍然是独一无二的，有少数这样的雷达仍在为科学工作。现代技术还没有超越这种雷达和其他类似雷达所能获得的分辨率。除了为美国科学界维护这一独特资产外，该奖项还为牧歌数据库提供资金，牧歌数据库是一个来自全球各地地面观测的中央数据库。它是航空科学界的一项重要资产。MHO在中纬度的亚极光带进行测量，使其成为nsf极光带资产（AMISR）和赤道资产（阿雷西博天文台和Jicamarca射电天文台）之间的关键位置。2020-2025年MHGF计划将在地球空间科学前沿开展电离层和热层研究。这些包括：(1)热层-电离层动力学和变率研究，包括潮汐、行星波和使用长时间IS雷达观测的电离层扰动；(2)包括太阳终端、中间层重力波和耦合全大气响应在内的波动和扰动特征研究；(3)地磁风暴响应与磁层-电离层耦合；(4) 2024年4月美国大陆日全食期间的日食响应和动态。MHGF将使地球空间雷达观测能够支持社区科学目标，通过(1)将Millstone Hill IS雷达总观测时间从每年约1000小时增加到1250小时；(2)利用适合系统科学研究的广阔视野提供亚极光覆盖；(3)使用经过验证和校准的系统生成高质量的数据。MHGF将开展一系列新的年度连续30天的Millstone Hill IS雷达中纬度活动，这些活动将(1)在CEDAR和GEM研讨会上组织以科学为重点的规划工作；(2)协调额外的地面和天基观测，使科学回报最大化；(3)针对上述主题以及CEDAR和GEM定义的主题进行领先数据分析；(4)组织并举办为期30天的模型数据对比研讨会，以促进IS雷达数据在地球空间系统科学中的应用。MHGF将展示一种新的基于中纬度流星雷达的中性风观测能力，使用先进的无线电捕获和RAPID平台，该平台将(1)测量Millstone Hill上空精细尺度的中间层中性风结构；(2)重叠30天的IS雷达运行，并提供大约一年的中性风数据；(3)探索IS雷达与多进多出（MIMO）流星风测量的比较技术。MHGF还将生产并提供基于GNSS的总电子含量数据产品，这些产品(1)提供带偏差校准的视线和垂直总电子含量观测；(2)支持社会在地球空间科学研究中使用GNSS产品。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is for the maintenance and operations of the Millstone Hill Observatory (MHO) in Westford, Massachusetts. MHO sits at the MIT Haystack Observatory which has been by the institute for many decades. The site consists of two 2.5MW UHF transmitter, a fixed zenith 68m diameter antenna and a 46m fully steerable antenna. In 1958, the UHF radar was built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the US Air Force for ballistic missile and satellite tracking. In 1974, NSF began supporting the radar operations studies of the upper atmosphere. The power and frequency of these two incoherent scatter radars remain unique in the world, with a handful of such radars still in operation for science. Modern technology has yet to surpass the resolution that can be obtained by this radar and the others like it. In addition to maintaining this unique asset for the US scientific community, this award provides funding for the Madrigal database, which is a central database groundbased observations from across the planet. It is a key asset for the Aeronomical science community. MHO makes measurements in the mid latitudes, subauroral zone making it a key location between NSFs auroral zone assets (AMISR) and equatorial assets (Arecibo Observatory and Jicamarca Radio Observatory).The 2020-2025 MHGF program will conduct ionospheric and thermospheric research at the frontiers of Geospace science. These include (1) thermosphere-ionosphere dynamics and variability studies, including tides, planetary waves, and traveling ionospheric disturbances using long duration IS radar observations; (2) studies of wave and disturbance signatures including those from the solar terminator, mesospheric gravity waves, and coupled whole atmospheric responses; (3) geomagnetic storm response and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling; and (4) eclipse response and dynamics during the April 2024 continental US total eclipse. MHGF will enable Geospace radar observations to support community science objectives, through (1) increasing total Millstone Hill IS radar observation time from ~1000 hours/year to 1250 hours/year; (2) providing sub-auroral coverage using a wide field of view suited for system science investigations; and (3) producing high quality data using validated and calibrated systems. MHGF will conduct a new series of annual 30-day continuous Millstone Hill IS radar mid-latitude campaigns that will (1) organize a science focused planning effort at the CEDAR and GEM workshops; (2) coordinate additional ground and space-based observations to maximize science returns; (3) lead data analysis for the topics listed above and those defined by CEDAR and GEM; and (4) organize and host a 30-day run focused model-data comparison workshop to promote IS radar data use for geospace system science. MHGF will demonstrate a new mid-latitude meteor radar based neutral wind observation capability using advanced radio capture with the RAPID platform that will (1) measure fine-scale mesospheric neutral wind structure over Millstone Hill; (2) overlap a 30-day IS radar run and provide approximately one year of neutral wind data; and (3) explore techniques for comparison of IS radar and multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) based meteor wind measurements. MHGF will also produce and make available GNSS based total electron content data products that (1) provide line of sight and vertical total electron content observations with bias calibration; and (2) support the use of GNSS products in Geospace science research by the community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.