This project will provide the basic instrumentation and science analysis for the Automatic Geophysical Observatories (AGOs) that are a new major research facility that has been developed by the United States Antarctic Research Program (USARP). The AGOs are very like satellites, in that they provide power, data collecting capability and a comfortable environment for year long periods for instruments that are designed to operate autonomously at remote sites in Antarctica. The development of AGO has been a priority of the US space physics community for more than fifteen years. Experiments other than those described in this abstract will also be housed in the AGO system. This project is a collaborative effort of the University of Maryland, University of New Hampshire, Stanford University, Augsburg College, New York City Technical College, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Lockheed Space and Missile Corporation and four Japanese institutions, Tohoku University, Tokai University, Kyoto University and the (Japanese) National Institute of Polar Research. The instruments to be deployed in the AGOs are search coil and fluxgate magnetometers, a two wavelength monochromatic intensified all sky auroral imager using charged coupled device (CCD) technology, a newly developed imaging riometer and extremely low frequency and very low frequency (ELF/VLF) radio receivers. The instrumentation closely resembles that deployed at several manned antarctic stations, including McMurdo and South Pole, as well as similar instruments in the Arctic. It is also complementary to instruments on many orbiting and planned spacecraft. Eventually six AGOs will be deployed by USARP. The science will address a number of outstanding questions about the high latitude polar ionosphere that are a major focus of global initiatives, especially STEP (Solar Terrestrial Energy Program) and ISTP (International Solar Terrestrial Program). The concept is to coordinate ground based measurements, aircraft, rocket and balloon measurements, theory and modeling with the data to be acquired by 13 new spacecraft missions to be launched by NASA, ISAS, ESA and IKI before 1995 and to incorporate, as well, data taken from several satellites that are presently in orbit, should they still be providing data in the 1990.95 period. STEP is an international umbrella that covers the U.S. initiatives CEDAR, GEM, ISTP and Max '91. The main goal of STEP will be to advance the quantitative understanding of the coupling mechanisms that are responsible for the transfer of energy and mass from one region of the solar.terrestrial system to another. Specific AGO studies will include ionospheric signatures of magnetic cusp processes, improving understanding of the global convection pattern and magnetosphere.atmosphere electrodynamic coupling.
