Studying Effects Of Space Weather And Solar Wind

NASA and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, launched three new missions to study the sun’s influence across the solar system. Specifically, they are furthering our understanding of how space weather and the solar wind may affect human missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as impact Earth-orbiting satellites and ground-based systems like power grids and communications networks.

The three spacecraft were lifted into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 7:30 am EDT on Wednesday, September 24, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board were NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1) spacecraft.

The missions will enable improved protection for ground-based technology and also human and robotic space exploration missions from the severe conditions that can result from space weather.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy said, “This successful launch advances the space weather readiness of our nation to better protect our satellites, interplanetary missions, and space-faring astronauts from the dangers of space weather throughout the solar system. This insight will be critical as we prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars in our endeavor to keep America first in space.”

The IMAP probe will chart the boundary of the heliosphere that shields the solar system from a majority of galactic cosmic rays. This information will enable us to understand how space can harm humans and our technology.

The Carruthers Observatory is the first dedicated mission to record changes in the Earth’s exosphere, the outermost layer of atmosphere. This mission will study the ultraviolet glow emitted by the exosphere when sunlight shines on it, revealing details of that interaction with the solar wind, its response to solar storms, and how it changes with seasons, enabling us to improve our ability to predict the impact of solar activity on Earth.

The NOAA Space Weather Follow On is a first-of-its-kind mission to be positioned as a full-time space weather observatory at the Lagrange point 1, between the Earth and sun about a million miles from Earth in the sunward direction. Lagrange points are gravitationally stable points in space where spacecraft can be positioned indefinitely. The observatory will provide quicker and more accurate space weather forecasts than ever before.

Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington explained, “As the United States prepares to send humans back to the Moon and onward to Mars, NASA and NOAA are providing the ultimate interplanetary survival guide to support humanity’s epic journey along the way. Our scientific discoveries and technical innovations directly feed into our know-before-you-go roadmap to ensure a prepared, safe, and sustained human presence on other worlds.”

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/ , www.noaa.gov/