The primary objective of this U.S.-Poland research project between Drs. Eberhard Moebius, M.A. Lee, and Philip A. Isenberg of the Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, and Drs. Daniel Rucinski and Stanislav Grzedzielski of the Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, is to combine the complementary expertise of the two groups in the interaction of the interstellar gas within the heliospher, and study the distribution of interstellar neutrals and pickup ions in interplanetary space. The researchers will launch a coordinated effort to derive a baseline parameter set for interstellar helium by the combination of the large scale simulation of the neutral gas distribution with the first comprehensive data set of interstellar pickup ions. They will combine the modeling and the data set to provide a basis to focus initially on a comprehensive comparison of the interstellar parameters as derived from in situ measurements with the available remote sensing results with the UV backscatter technique. This project in atmospheric sciences fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling leading experts in the United States and Eastern Europe to combine complementary talents and pool resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.
