Space Science at NASA: Heliophysics Overview
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Shock Connectivity and the Late Cycle 24 Solar Energetic Particle Events in July and September 2017
Shock Connectivity and the Late Cycle 24 Solar Energetic Particle Events in July and September 2017 J.G. Luhmann1, M.L. Mays2, Yan Li1, C.O. Lee1, H. Bain3, D. Odstrcil4, R.A. Mewaldt5, C.M.S. Cohen5, D. Larson1, Gordon Petrie6 1Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. 2CCMC, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. 3NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. 4George Mason University. 5California Institute of Technology. 6NSO. Corresponding author: Janet Luhmann ([email protected]) Key Points: Observer shock connectivity explains the SEP observations during the July and September 2017 events. The July and September 2017 solar and SEP events had similar characteristics due to similar source region and eruptions. The July and September 2017 events seemed to arise in conjunction with the appearance of a pseudostreamer, a possible alternate ICME source. This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1029/2018SW001860 © 2018 American Geophysical Union. All rights reserved. Abstract As solar activity steadily declined toward the cycle 24 minimum in the early months of 2017, the expectation for major Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events diminished with the sunspot number. It was thus surprising (though not unprecedented) when a new, potentially significant active region rotated around the East limb in early July that by mid-month was producing a series of coronal eruptions, reaching a crescendo around July 23. This series, apparently associated with the birth of a growing pseudostreamer, produced the largest SEP event(s) seen since the solar maximum years. -
Department of Physics and Astronomy 1
Department of Physics and Astronomy 1 PHSX 216 and PHSX 236, provide a calculus-based foundation in Department of Physics physics for students in physical science, engineering, and mathematics. PHSX 313 and the laboratory course, PHSX 316, provide an introduction and Astronomy to modern physics for majors in physics and some engineering and physical science programs. Why study physics and astronomy? Students in biological sciences, health sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, and prospective elementary and secondary Our goal is to understand the physical universe. The questions teachers should see appropriate sections of this catalog and major addressed by our department’s research and education missions range advisors for guidance about required physics course work. Chemistry from the applied, such as an improved understanding of the materials that majors should note that PHSX 211 and PHSX 212 are prerequisites to can be used for solar cell energy production, to foundational questions advanced work in chemistry. about the nature of mass and space and how the Universe was formed and subsequently evolved, and how astrophysical phenomena affected For programs in engineering physics (http://catalog.ku.edu/engineering/ the Earth and its evolution. We study the properties of systems ranging engineering-physics/), see the School of Engineering section of the online in size from smaller than an atom to larger than a galaxy on timescales catalog. ranging from billionths of a second to the age of the universe. Our courses and laboratory/research experiences help students hone their Graduate Programs problem solving and analytical skills and thereby become broadly trained critical thinkers. While about half of our majors move on to graduate The department offers two primary graduate programs: (i) an M.S. -
Solar and Space Physics: a Science for a Technological Society
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society The 2013-2022 Decadal Survey in Solar and Space Physics Space Studies Board ∙ Division on Engineering & Physical Sciences ∙ August 2012 From the interior of the Sun, to the upper atmosphere and near-space environment of Earth, and outwards to a region far beyond Pluto where the Sun’s influence wanes, advances during the past decade in space physics and solar physics have yielded spectacular insights into the phenomena that affect our home in space. This report, the final product of a study requested by NASA and the National Science Foundation, presents a prioritized program of basic and applied research for 2013-2022 that will advance scientific understanding of the Sun, Sun- Earth connections and the origins of “space weather,” and the Sun’s interactions with other bodies in the solar system. The report includes recommendations directed for action by the study sponsors and by other federal agencies—especially NOAA, which is responsible for the day-to-day (“operational”) forecast of space weather. Recent Progress: Significant Advances significant progress in understanding the origin from the Past Decade and evolution of the solar wind; striking advances The disciplines of solar and space physics have made in understanding of both explosive solar flares remarkable advances over the last decade—many and the coronal mass ejections that drive space of which have come from the implementation weather; new imaging methods that permit direct of the program recommended in 2003 Solar observations of the space weather-driven changes and Space Physics Decadal Survey. For example, in the particles and magnetic fields surrounding enabled by advances in scientific understanding Earth; new understanding of the ways that space as well as fruitful interagency partnerships, the storms are fueled by oxygen originating from capabilities of models that predict space weather Earth’s own atmosphere; and the surprising impacts on Earth have made rapid gains over discovery that conditions in near-Earth space the past decade. -
The Van Allen Probes' Contribution to the Space Weather System
L. J. Zanetti et al. The Van Allen Probes’ Contribution to the Space Weather System Lawrence J. Zanetti, Ramona L. Kessel, Barry H. Mauk, Aleksandr Y. Ukhorskiy, Nicola J. Fox, Robin J. Barnes, Michele Weiss, Thomas S. Sotirelis, and NourEddine Raouafi ABSTRACT The Van Allen Probes mission, formerly the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, was renamed soon after launch to honor the late James Van Allen, who discovered Earth’s radiation belts at the beginning of the space age. While most of the science data are telemetered to the ground using a store-and-then-dump schedule, some of the space weather data are broadcast continu- ously when the Probes are not sending down the science data (approximately 90% of the time). This space weather data set is captured by contributed ground stations around the world (pres- ently Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Republic), automatically sent to the ground facility at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Phys- ics Laboratory, converted to scientific units, and published online in the form of digital data and plots—all within less than 15 minutes from the time that the data are accumulated onboard the Probes. The real-time Van Allen Probes space weather information is publicly accessible via the Van Allen Probes Gateway web interface. INTRODUCTION The overarching goal of the study of space weather ing radiation, were the impetus for implementing a space is to understand and address the issues caused by solar weather broadcast capability on NASA’s Van Allen disturbances and the effects of those issues on humans Probes’ twin pair of satellites, which were launched in and technological systems. -
Sources for the History of Space Concepts in Physics: from 1845 to 1995
CBPF-NF-084/96 SOURCES FOR THE HISTORY OF SPACE CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS: FROM 1845 TO 1995 Francisco Caruso(∗) & Roberto Moreira Xavier Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas F´ısicas Rua Dr. Xavier Sigaud 150, Urca, 22290–180, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dedicated to Prof. Juan Jos´e Giambiagi, in Memoriam. “Car l`a-haut, au ciel, le paradis n’est-il pas une immense biblioth`eque? ” — Gaston Bachelard Brief Introduction Space — as other fundamental concepts in Physics, like time, causality and matter — has been the object of reflection and discussion throughout the last twenty six centuries from many different points of view. Being one of the most fundamental concepts over which scientific knowledge has been constructed, the interest on the evolution of the ideas of space in Physics would per se justify a bibliography. However, space concepts extrapolate by far the scientific domain, and permeate many other branches of human knowledge. Schematically, we could mention Philosophy, Mathematics, Aesthetics, Theology, Psychology, Literature, Architecture, Art, Music, Geography, Sociology, etc. But actually one has to keep in mind Koyr´e’s lesson: scientific knowledge of a particular epoch can not be isolated from philosophical, religious and cultural context — to understand Copernican Revolution one has to focus Protestant Reformation. Therefore, a deeper understanding of this concept can be achieved only if one attempts to consider the complex interrelations of these different branches of knowledge. A straightforward consequence of this fact is that any bibliography on the History and Philosophy of space would result incomplete and grounded on arbitrary choices: we might thus specify ours. From the begining of our collaboration on the History and Philosophy of Space in Physics — born more than ten years ago — we have decided to build up a preliminary bibliography which should include just references available at our libraries concerning a very specific problem we were mainly interested in at that time, namely, the problem of space dimensionality. -
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics RESEARCH ARTICLE Zonally Symmetric Oscillations of the Thermosphere at 10.1002/2018JA025258 Planetary Wave Periods Key Points: • A dissipating tidal spectrum Jeffrey M. Forbes1 , Xiaoli Zhang1, Astrid Maute2 , and Maura E. Hagan3 modulated by planetary waves (PW) causes the thermosphere to “vacillate” 1Ann and H. J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA, 2 over a range of PW periods 3 • The same tidal spectrum can amplify High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA, Department of Physics, Utah penetration of westward propagating State University, Logan, UT, USA PW into the dynamo region, through nonlinear wave-wave interactions • Zonally symmetric ionospheric Abstract New mechanisms for imposing planetary wave (PW) variability on the oscillations arising from thermospheric vacillation are ionosphere-thermosphere system are discovered in numerical experiments conducted with the National potentially large Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere-ionosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model. First, it is demonstrated that a tidal spectrum modulated at PW periods (3–20 days) entering the Supporting Information: ionosphere-thermosphere system near 100 km is responsible for producing ±40 m/s and ±10–15 K • Supporting Information S1 PW period oscillations between 110 and 150 km at low to middle latitudes. The dominant response is broadband and zonally symmetric (i.e., “S0”) over a range of periods and is attributable to tidal dissipation; essentially, the ionosphere-thermosphere system “vacillates” in response to dissipation of Correspondence to: J. M. Forbes, the PW-modulated tidal spectrum. In addition, some specific westward propagating PWs such as the [email protected] quasi-6-day wave are amplified by the presence of the tidal spectrum; the underlying mechanism is hypothesized to be a second-stage nonlinear interaction. -
A Brief History of Magnetospheric Physics Before the Spaceflight Era
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS BEFORE THE SPACEFLIGHT ERA David P. Stern Laboratoryfor ExtraterrestrialPhysics NASAGoddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt,Maryland Abstract.This review traces early resea/ch on the Earth's aurora, plasma cloud particles required some way of magneticenvironment, covering the period when only penetratingthe "Chapman-Ferrarocavity": Alfv•n (1939) ground:based0bservationswerepossible. Observations of invoked an eleCtric field, but his ideas met resistance. The magneticstorms (1724) and of perturbationsassociated picture grew more complicated with observationsof with the aurora (1741) suggestedthat those phenomena comets(1943, 1951) which suggesteda fast "solarwind" originatedoutside the Earth; correlationof the solarcycle emanatingfrom the Sun's coronaat all times. This flow (1851)with magnetic activity (1852) pointed to theSun's was explainedby Parker's theory (1958), and the perma- involvement.The discovei-yof •solarflares (1859) and nent cavity which it producedaround the Earth was later growingevidence for their associationwith large storms named the "magnetosphere"(1959). As early as 1905, led Birkeland (1900) to proposesolar electronstreams as Birkeland had proposedthat the large magneticperturba- thecause. Though laboratory experiments provided some tions of the polar aurora refleCteda "polar" type of support;the idea ran into theoreticaldifficulties and was magneticstorm whose electric currents descended into the replacedby Chapmanand Ferraro's notion of solarplasma upper atmosphere;that idea, however, was resisted for clouds (1930). Magnetic storms were first attributed more than 50 years. By the time of the International (1911)to a "ringcurrent" of high-energyparticles circling GeophysicalYear (1957-1958), when the first artificial the Earth, but later work (1957) reCOgnizedthat low- satelliteswere launched, most of the importantfeatures of energy particlesundergoing guiding center drifts could the magnetospherehad been glimpsed, but detailed have the same effect. -
Living with a Star Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) Steering
Living with a Star Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) Steering Committee Steering Committee Members: Liaison Members: Co-Chair: Eftyhia Zesta (GSFC) Terry Onsager (NOAA) Co-Chair: Mark Linton (NRL) Rodney Vierick (NOAA) Yuri Shprits (MIT) Ilia Roussev (NSF) Scott McIntosh (NCAR / HAO) Vyacheslav Lukin (NSF) Nathan Schwadron (UNH ex-chair) Masha Kuznetsova (GSFC / Community Karel Schrijver (Lockheed Martin) Coordinated Modeling Center) Jim Slavin (U Michigan) Mona Kessel (NASA HQ / Chadi Salem (UC Berkeley) Van Allen Probes) Alexa Halford (GSFC) Dean Pesnell (GSFC / Pontus Brandt (APL) Solar Dynamics Observatory) Tim Bastian (NRAO) David Sibeck (GSFC / Van Allen Probes) Kent Tobiska Adam Szabo (GSFC / Solar Probe Plus) (Space Environment Tech.) Chris St. Cyr (GSFC / Solar Orbiter) LWS Program Ex Officio: Elsayed Talaat & Jeff Morrill (NASA HQ), Shing Fung (GSFC) 2003 Science Definition Team Report: Living with a Star Objectives LWS initiative: goal-oriented research program targeting those aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The objectives of LWS will advance research in Sun-Earth system science to new territory, producing knowledge and understanding that society can ultimately utilize. 2003 LWS Science Definition Team Report: TR&T Program The Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) component of LWS provides the theory, modeling, and data analysis necessary to enable an integrated, system-wide picture of Sun-Earth connection science with societal relevance. Science Definition Team (SDT) … formed -
AS703: Introduction to Space Physics
AS703: Introduction to Space Physics Fall 2015 Course Description The temperature of the sun's surface is 4000K-5000K, but just outside the sur- face, in a region called the corona, the temperatures exceed 1.5 million degrees K. The mechanism that heats and sus- tains these high temperatures remains unexplained. Nevertheless, these high temperatures cause the corona to expel vast quantities of material, creating the solar wind. This plasma wind travels outward from the sun interacting with all solar system bodies. When the solar wind approaches planet Earth, it com- presses and distorts the region dom- inated by the Earth's magnetic field called the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere channels the solar wind around most of the at- mosphere and also into the polar regions. This channeling process drives large currents through the magnetosphere and into the charged part of the atmosphere below it; the partially ionized region called the ionosphere. These processes frequently energize particles creating the ring current, the radiation belts, and send energized particles crashing into the neutral atmosphere creating the Au- rora Borealis. The field of space physics studies physical phenomena from the Sun's outer layers to the upper atmospheres of the planets and, ultimately, to the point where the Solar wind's influence wanes. Understanding this region enables us to have a space program and to communicate through space. It also gives insight into plasma processes throughout the universe. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to space and solar physics. Since the local space environment is predominantly filled by plasma and electromagnetic energy, a substantial amount of time will be dedicated to learning the basics of plasma physics. -
Sentinelssentinels
SentinelsSentinels This LWS program element includes the Inner Heliospheric Sentinels (IHS) and the Far Side Sentinel (FSS) missions, each with its own distinct concept. And post o’er land and ocean without rest, They also serve who only stand and wait. On His Blindness Goddard Space Flight Center John Milton SentinelsSentinels StudyStudy ChronologyChronology Date Event Concept 1/13/00 Sentinels Briefing By A. Szabo Far Side Observer, L1 Cluster, NG STEREO 1/20/00 Preformulation Team Meeting Imaging/In-Situ Libration Point Measurements 2/2/00 Preformulation Team Meeting Emphasis On Heliospheric Elements 2/3/00 to 3/31/00 Libration Point Orbit Studies Orbit Trajectory Options 3/31/00 Preformulation Team Meeting Far Side Sentinel/4 Inner Heliospheric Sentinels 4/6/00 Sentinels Workshop 4 Satellite Constellation/Far Side Options 4/7/00 JPL Preliminary FSS Concept 3-Axis Spacecraft/5 Instruments/1 Launch 4/10/00 IMDC IHS Briefing 4 Spinning Satellites/4 Instruments/1 Launch 4/17/00 to 4/20/00 IMDC IHS Study 4 Spinning Satellites/4 Instruments/1 Launch 4/20/00 to 4/27/00 JPL FSS Concept/Cost Update Custom Spacecraft/5 Instruments/1 Launch 4/21/00 to 5/5/00 GSFC Mission Costing Far Side Sentinel/4 Inner Heliospheric Sentinels 5/25/00 FSS Mission Concept Summary Defined In Attached System/Subsystem Charts 5/31/00 Program Operating Plan Costed As Two Separate Missions Goddard Space Flight Center SentinelsSentinels ConceptConcept EvolutionEvolution LWS scientists initially considered a complement of spacecraft for the Sentinels mission that included a spacecraft observing the far side of the Sun, a cluster of satellites at L1, and two next-generation STEREO spacecraft. -
The New Heliophysics Division Template
NASA Heliophysics Division Update Heliophysics Advisory Committee October 1, 2019 Dr. Nicola J. Fox Director, Heliophysics Division Science Mission Directorate 1 The Dawn of a New Era for Heliophysics Heliophysics Division (HPD), in collaboration with its partners, is poised like never before to -- Explore uncharted territory from pockets of intense radiation near Earth, right to the Sun itself, and past the planets into interstellar space. Strategically combine research from a fleet of carefully-selected missions at key locations to better understand our entire space environment. Understand the interaction between Earth weather and space weather – protecting people and spacecraft. Coordinate with other agencies to fulfill its role for the Nation enabling advances in space weather knowledge and technologies Engage the public with research breakthroughs and citizen science Develop the next generation of heliophysicists 2 Decadal Survey 3 Alignment with Decadal Survey Recommendations NASA FY20 Presidential Budget Request R0.0 Complete the current program Extended operations of current operating missions as recommended by the 2017 Senior Review, planning for the next Senior Review Mar/Apr 2020; 3 recently launched and now in primary operations (GOLD, Parker, SET); and 2 missions currently in development (ICON, Solar Orbiter) R1.0 Implement DRIVE (Diversify, Realize, Implemented DRIVE initiative wedge in FY15; DRIVE initiative is now Integrate, Venture, Educate) part of the Heliophysics R&A baseline R2.0 Accelerate and expand Heliophysics Decadal recommendation of every 2-3 years; Explorer mission AO Explorer program released in 2016 and again in 2019. Notional mission cadence will continue to follow Decadal recommendation going forward. Increased frequency of Missions of Opportunity (MO), including rideshares on IMAP and Tech Demo MO. -
Living with a Star Pre-Formulation Study
Living With a Star Pre-Formulation Study Volume 2 Mission Concept Descriptions August 1, 2000 G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R AcknowledgementAcknowledgement The Living With a Star (LWS) study management acknowledges with gratitude the significant contributions to this volume made by GSFC engineering team and Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC) personnel. A special note of thanks also goes to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory personnel who developed the concept for the Far Side Sentinel mission and provided timely input to the mission study team. G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R OverviewOverview This volume summarizes the results of a 6-month LWS pre-formulation study to develop initial concepts for a set of missions that form the basis for the NASA proposed space weather research network. Pre-formulation begins the process to define a viable and affordable concept for new NASA programs and projects. This step is followed by a more formal formulation phase to ensure that the program or project is ready to proceed into implementation. The policy and process are defined in NPD 7120.4A and NPG 7120.5A. G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R TraceabilityTraceability A concerted effort has been made to maintain traceability of concepts and associated costs throughout the LWS program study. This added rigor will allow intelligent trade-offs to be performed and assessed as the program evolves over the months and years ahead.