THE PROPOSED INVESTIGATION SEEKS TO ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE IONOSPHERES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM GIANT PLANETS. SUCH COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY STUDIES ARE HIGHLIGHTED AS A VALUED RESEARCH APPROACH IN NASA SOLAR SYSTEM WORKINGS AND BY COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE PROPERTIES OF GIANT PLANETS IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM WE MAY ALSO EXPAND OUR INSIGHT INTO EXTRASOLAR GIANT PLANET ATMOSPHERES. THESE OBJECTIVES ARE ALIGNED WITH NASA INTERESTS (E.G. NASA STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVES 1.4 AND 1.5) AND ARE SIGNIFICANT FOR A NUMBER OF OBJECTIVES OF SSW (SUCH AS PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES: COMPOSITION AND EVOLUTION AND PLASMA ENVIRONMENT: PLASMA INTERACTIONS WITH STRUCTURES AND BODIES).