The High-Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) Reflight

One of the most challenging problems in solar physics is understanding the mass and energy balance in the solar atmosphere; "determining how the Sun's magnetism creates its hot, dynamic atmosphere" is identified as a science challenge by the 2012 Decadal Panel. Numerous theories have been introduced to explain the million-degree corona since its discovery in the 1930s; most predict energy release in the corona itself at spatial scales that have been too small to be resolved by previous instrumentation. In the past decade, a new appreciation of the importance of the solar chromosphere has emerged: not only does this region of the solar atmosphere undoubtedly supply the mass to the solar corona and solar wind, it may also be the location of the fine-scale energy release that drives coronal heating. We have a unique opportunity to capture evidence of the small-scale chromosphere-coronal connection by acquiring images with the High-resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) co-spatially and co-temporally with chromospheric images and spectra from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), all at the sub-arcsecond spatial resolution that recent models indicate is required. Hi-C was selected to complete this science mission in the 2014 LCAS opportunity. During this second flight of Hi-C, the passband of the telescope was changed to be 17.1 nm, considered to be the best match for the science goal. Additionally, the original Hi-C camera, which had roughly 120 electron RMS noise, was replaced with a low-noise camera with 7 electrons RMS noise. The mission flew in July 2016. Unfortunately, the cable controlling the camera shutter was shorted when tightening the connectors before the vibration test at the White Sands Missile Range. Because flight filters were installed (meaning visible light could not easily get through the system), this short was not found during post-vibration testing. The camera shutter did not operate during flight and no science data were captured. The instrument was recovered intact. We propose to fly Hi-C again in the early summer of 2018, roughly four to six months after we receive Authority to Proceed, and capture this rare data set. To facilitate this rapid turn-around, significant preparations will occur before ATP. The camera shutter wire will be replaced and a hall effect sensor added to the shutter controller card so that the shutter operation can be verified after flight filter installation. The alignment of the telescope will also be confirmed. After ATP, the avionics and cables will be reintegrated and end-to-end tested. The payload will then be ready for reflight. Often payloads are flown in a series of evolving configurations to refine the instrument concept or to provide calibration data for satellite instruments. Payloads are also launched multiple times if the value of the data for scientific investigations warrants subsequent launches. The first flight of Hi-C, capturing 345 seconds of data in the 19.3 nm passband, was launched on July 11, 2012. Hi-C obtained the highest spatial resolution and highest cadence images of the EUV solar corona ever achieved. Those few minutes of data have thus far generated more than 25 refereed publications, including the first ever observation of coronal braiding and associated energy release (Cirtain et al., 2013). This is arguably one of the most scientifically successful sounding rocket payloads ever launched by NASA and certainly the most valuable for Heliophysics. A Hi-C launch in 2018 in close coordination with IRIS will provide a unique dataset that will lead to breakthrough science. Our data will provide major new insights into the close coupling between heating in the chromosphere and corona that is predicted by recent state-of-the-art numerical models of solar atmospheric heating.

Support NASA's Heliophysics strategic science objectives to understand the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the solar system, including space weather. This will be achieved by developing/demonstrating instrumentation technology necessary to address the following science goals: Explore the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to the Earth and throughout the solar system; Advance our understanding of the connections that link the Sun, the Earth, planetary space environments, and the outer reaches of our solar system; Develop the knowledge and capability to detect and predict extreme conditions in space to protect life and society and to safeguard human and robotic explorers beyond Earth.

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