  We describe the preliminary design of a magnetograph and visible-light imager
instrument to study the solar dynamo processes through observations of the
solar surface magnetic field distribution. The instrument will provide
measurements of the vector magnetic field and of the line-of-sight velocity in
the solar photosphere. As the magnetic field anchored at the solar surface
produces most of the structures and energetic events in the upper solar
atmosphere and significantly influences the heliosphere, the development of
this instrument plays an important role in reaching the scientific goals of The
Atmospheric and Space Science Coordination (CEA) at the Brazilian National
Institute for Space Research (INPE). In particular, the CEA's space weather
program will benefit most from the development of this technology. We expect
that this project will be the starting point to establish a strong research
program on Solar Physics in Brazil. Our main aim is acquiring progressively the
know-how to build state-of-art solar vector magnetograph and visible-light
imagers for space-based platforms to contribute to the efforts of the
solar-terrestrial physics community to address the main unanswered questions on
how our nearby Star works.
