Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission First Results

Like sending sensors up into a hurricane, NASA has flown four spacecraft through an invisible maelstrom in space, called magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection is one of the prime drivers of space radiation and so it is a key factor in the quest to learn more about our space environment and protect our spacecraft and astronauts as we explore farther and farther from Earth. The research shows that magnetic reconnection is dominated by the electrons in space and the physics that drives them – thus pro