The exosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will study the geocorona, the outermost region of the Earth's atmosphere where gas is so diffuse that particles rarely collide.
The exosphere is primarily composed of atomic hydrogen (H) and is the pathway for permanent loss of Earth's H to space. Carruthers is equipped to two ultraviolet (UV) cameras which will capture exospheric UV emission in unprecedented detail.
Carruthers has two primary science objectives:
What physical processes control the shape and distribution of the exosphere?
