HELIOSPHERIC LINKS EXPLORER (HELIX)

The proposed HELIX mission will provide stereoscopic images of solar m ass ejections from their origins on the Sun to their arrival at Earth. With an array of telescopes and plasma detectors, it will investigate magnetic helicity conservation in the heliosphere. Helicity conservat ion, which has been used successfully to describe the behavior of plas mas in fusion experiments, may explain why there are solar ejections a nd how they evolve in interplanetary space. HELM uses two identical sp acecraft in heliocentric ecliptic orbits. One remains near Earth and t he other drifts so that it will see solar features up to five days bef ore they are visible from Earth. This will provide advance warning of areas on the Sun that can provide geomagnetic storms at Earth. Copyrig ht (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.