The concept of free-flying micro-spacecraft was to develop a miniature spacecraft system fully integrated with a scientific sensor. A fleet of such tiny spacecraft would be deployed in space for multi-probe measurements of a three-dimensional phenomenon and to separate the spatial/temporal variations of that phenomenon. They would measure a parameter of interest, process the data onboard, and communicate the data in real time.

This work was done by Hamid Javadi, Raymond Goldstein, and James Randolph of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. To obtain copies of the reports, "A Fully Integrated Micro-Magnetometer/Microspacecraft for Multipoint Measurements: The Free-Flyer Magnetometer" and "First-Generation Jet Propulsion Laboratory 'Hockey-Puck' Free-Flying Magnetometers for Distributed In-Situ Multiprobe Measurement of Current Density Filamentation in the Northern Auroral Zone: Enstrophy Mission," access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free on-line at www.nasatech.com/tsp  under the Physical Sciences category.

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