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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
82
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
lion per year for NSO synoptic programs, will require a budget augmentation of approximately $12 million
above the current NSO operating budget. Research grants and advanced instrumentation development will
require additional funds.
Recommendation: NSF should provide funding sufficient for essential synoptic observations and for efficient and scientifically productive operation of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), which
provides a revolutionary new window on the solar magnetic atmosphere.
Mission Operations and Data Analysis (MO&DA)
The very successful Heliophysics Systems Observatory is fueled by NASA MO&DA mission extensions and guest investigator (GI) programs, which ensure that the full range of essential data are collected,
maintained, and analyzed. The survey committee concluded that a higher level of MO&DA funding is
FIGURE 4.3 Realize scientific potential by sufficiently funding operations and data analysis. As an example of how extensive data analysis leads to physical understanding, this figure shows a power spectrum of solar surface oscillations (black
line) that can be analyzed via sophisticated helioseismic inversion to determine the nature of plasma flows inside the Sun
(two-dimensional color image).
REALIZE
Figure 4-3
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
82
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
lion per year for NSO synoptic programs, will require a budget augmentation of approximately $12 million
above the current NSO operating budget. Research grants and advanced instrumentation development will
require additional funds.
Recommendation: NSF should provide funding sufficient for essential synoptic observations and for efficient and scientifically productive operation of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), which
provides a revolutionary new window on the solar magnetic atmosphere.
Mission Operations and Data Analysis (MO&DA)
The very successful Heliophysics Systems Observatory is fueled by NASA MO&DA mission extensions and guest investigator (GI) programs, which ensure that the full range of essential data are collected,
maintained, and analyzed. The survey committee concluded that a higher level of MO&DA funding is
FIGURE 4.3 Realize scientific potential by sufficiently funding operations and data analysis. As an example of how extensive data analysis leads to physical understanding, this figure shows a power spectrum of solar surface oscillations (black
line) that can be analyzed via sophisticated helioseismic inversion to determine the nature of plasma flows inside the Sun
(two-dimensional color image).
REALIZE
Figure 4-3