Annual report - 2007

Objectives planned for the reporting period

Our main objective in 2007 was scientific analysis of data obtained by the Cluster and Double Star spacecraft projects of the ESA, together with the development of the antenna theory and analysis methods, and first data interpretation efforts for the successfully launched Stereo project. The technical part of our work has been aimed at preparation of our participation on future missions (Solar Orbiter) and at reception of the Cluster spacecraft by the ground station at Panska Ves.

Results achieved

In 2007 the scientific part of the project resulted in 14 publications in international scientific journals, 5 publications in proceedings of international conferences, 15 invited talks at international scientific conferences and in a number of presentations at international scientific conferences (see section 7).

These papers and presentations mainly resulted from scientific analysis of data obtained by the Cluster and Double Star spacecraft projects of the ESA, and from development of the antenna theory and analysis methods.  We have The equatorial Double Star spacecraft TC-1 ended its operations in October 2007 and its full data set is now being archived and prepared for scientific analysis. The Cluster mission continues to operate in the extended mission phase scheduled at this moment till the end of 2009. We plan to continue in scientific analysis of the data sets of these ESA missions.

We have also started analysis of Langmuir waves from the data of the Stereo spacecraft. In synergy with these activities we have also analyzed data from the DEMETER spacecraft on which ESA participates and which was partly financed from the PECS programme. This work also continues.

Another part of the project continued by preparation of our participation on the Solar Orbiter project in the form of Letter of Intent and response to AO. We have actively participated on preparation of both these documents. We have designed a project of a subsystem TDS and onboard analysis on the LFR subsystem of the proposed Solar orbiter wave instrument. Work on the preparation of the Solar Orbiter project in the frame of the present contract is thus finished and, if our response to AO is accepted, funding of further development of these subsystems is a subject of a separate PECS project proposal lead by Dr. Jan Soucek. 

We have also continued with work on reception of the Cluster spacecraft by the ground station in Panska Ves. Additional reception tests has been carried out and the data received in Panska Ves have been successfully compared with the data received by the DSN station in Madrid. We have shown that successful data receptions can be done at Panska Ves up to distances of slightly more than 100,000 km with full data bitrate. During 2007 ESA (ESOC and JSOC) worked on including Panska Ves station in the plan of operations of the Cluster mission. Direct transmissions successfully began on 20 October 2007. The station now routinely receives directly programmed data transmissions from the Cluster spacecraft. These operations provide the WBD team and Cluster scientific community with a reasonable coverage of the perigee region.

This part of the present contract is thus also successfully finished and all allocated funds (45.9 kEUR) will be spent by the end of January 2008. Funding for continuation of ground based operations, necessary processing of the received data and data storage is the subject of a separate PECS project proposal lead by Dr. Jiri Simunek.

Financial balance of the project against planned budget

By 2.1.2008 we spent approximately 61.5% of the budget planned for 1/2005-12/2007 .

The main part of funding went, according to the planned budget, to wages, compulsory insurances and small equipment. Another part of the budget was used to fund our participation on workshops, collaborative work with colleagues from other institutions involved in the Cluster project (LPCE Orleans, University of Iowa, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon) meetings, and international conferences where we have presented the results of the project. During these meetings we have also discussed our common work with our colleagues from foreign cooperating institutions.

Changes proposed for next period of project run

The reduced spending opens a possibility for a no cost extension of the project beyond December 2008 to cover at least the  operational phase of the successful Cluster project and subsequent data analysis.