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Notes:


In this slide I show an artist’s conception of the invisible magnetosphere around Jupiter on the left, and on the right, the recent observation of the Jovian magnetosphere as seen by the Cassini spacecraft speeding by Jupiter on its way to Saturn. The data is a reassuring confirmation that the artist’s conception is correct.
But how can a mini-magnetosphere use such a faint breeze? Recall that the purpose of a sail is to accelerate the spacecraft, not bend with the wind. It achieves nothing to reflect 100% of the sunlight but use a sail so heavy that the satellite doesn’t move. If one can build a lightweight mini-magnetosphere, capitalizing on the nearly weightless plasma magnetic field, then spacecraft accelerations can be achieved that put solar sails to shame. More significantly, deploying a plasma mini-magnetosphere is a snap, and magnetic fields are nearly indestructible in the space environment. They are truly robust.