Post Launch Cluster Ops 10/09 Extension

星团使命是欧空局的一项基石使命，其目标是在我们对地球磁层如何运作、地球对不断变化的太阳风条件的反应、内部不稳定性和电离层所产生的影响的认识方面取得重大突破。集群于2000年启动，并于2001年2月开始运作。欧空局已将这一使命至少延长到2009年底。集群提供了一个独特的能力来测量等离子体环境的重要特征。集群是一个核心设施，用于交付太阳系战略，解决太阳系能量流动的主题，并了解基本的等离子体过程。数字波处理器（DWP）仪器是将在四颗集群卫星上飞行的三个英国PI仪器之一。DWP是五个实验（DWP，STAFF，EFW，WHISPER和WBD）之一，共同组成波浪实验联盟（WEC）。WEC的形成是为了允许在社区内共享可用的资源和技能WEC由一套复杂的仪器组成，这些仪器共享航天器上可用的几种资源，例如电力，数据速率以及吊杆和传感器的使用。WEC构成了每个航天器上几乎一半的科学有效载荷。WEC仪器之一（WBD）利用NASA DSN（深空网络）收集其大部分数据。这是按照与欧空局地面站收集数据的时间表重叠的时间表进行的。WEC的资源共享、DSN的使用和WEC数据的重要性使得仪器调度和数据处理（包括验证）变得复杂，并且对使命的成功具有重要意义。DWP PI和团队一直积极参与项目范围内的活动，以协调操作，数据处理和科学规划。WEC的运营由WEC运营小组协调，该小组由DWP PI担任主席。联合王国是这一使命的科学利用和数据处理的主要贡献者。PI研究所负责仪器操作，并向集群活动档案馆提供最高分辨率的数据，以及支持元数据和文档。DWP为WEC提供集成的指挥、同步和机载数据处理。如果没有这台仪器，41台星团仪器中的20台将无法运行，包括使命中唯一由美国宇航局领导的仪器WBD。英国通过DWP获得了WEC所有5个波浪实验的数据。波和电磁场结构是控制磁层和太阳风等离子体中所有物理变化过程的基础。DWP还包含英国粒子相关器实验，直接测量粒子波相互作用和动力学湍流。

The Cluster mission is an ESA cornerstone mission with the objective to make major breakthroughs in our understanding of how the Earth's magnetosphere works, the Earth's response to changing solar-wind conditions, internal instabilities and the influence exerted by the ionosphere. Cluster was launched in 2000 and began operations in February 2001. ESA has extended the mission at least to the end of 2009. Cluster provides a unique capability to measure important characteristics of the plasma environment. Cluster is a core facility for the delivery of the Solar System strategy addressing the themes of energy flow in the Solar System and understanding fundamental plasma processes. The Digital Wave Processor, DWP, instrument is one of the three UK PI instruments to be flown on the four Cluster satellites. DWP is one of the five experiments (DWP, STAFF, EFW, WHISPER, and WBD) that together comprise the Wave Experiment Consortium (WEC). The WEC was formed to allow the sharing of resources and skills available within the community The WEC comprises a complicated set of instruments that share several of the resources available on the spacecraft such as electrical power, data rate and the use of booms and sensors. The WEC forms almost half of the scientific payload on each of the spacecraft. One of the WEC instruments (WBD) makes use of the NASA DSN (Deep Space Network) to collect much of its data. This is done to a schedule that overlaps with the schedule for data collection by the ESA ground stations. The resource sharing of the WEC, use of DSN and importance of WEC data, make both the instrument scheduling and data handling (including validation) complicated and of importance to the success of the mission. The DWP PI and team have been active in project-wide activities to co-ordinate operations, data handling and science planning. Operations of the WEC are co-ordinated by the WEC Operation Group which is chaired by the DWP PI. The UK is the lead contributor to the scientific exploitation and data handling on this mission. PI institutes are responsible for the instrument operation and provision to the Cluster Active Archive (CAA) of the highest resolution data, with supporting metadata and documentation. The DWP provides integrated commanding, synchronisation and on-board data processing for the WEC. Without this instrument 20 of the 41 Cluster instruments would not operate, including the only NASA led instrument on the mission, WBD. The UK through the DWP gains access to data from all 5 wave experiments in the WEC. Waves and electromagnetic field structures are fundamental in controlling all processes of physical change in the magnetospheric and solar wind plasma. The DWP also contains the UK particle correlator experiment which directly measures particle wave interactions and kinetic turbulence.