We identify a series of magnetic conjunctions and close encounters of polar-orbiting satellites to investigate cusp features including flux variations and sudden energy changes of cusp precipitating ions. The variations and changes are generally interpreted as signatures of variations in the reconnection rate and/or changes in the de Hoffman-Teller velocity at the magnetopause. They are expected to be temporal features which move poleward with convecting field lines. However, our analysis shows that a series of cusp features observed on one satellite are remarkably similar to cusp features observed up to 1.5 hours later by a second satellite. This similarity suggests that these features are spatial structures and not temporal variations in reconnection parameters. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union