Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
140
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
A ROBUST SPACE WEATHER AND CLIMATOLOGY PROGRAM
Core Elements
Like Earth’s near-surface environment, where climate and weather occur, the extended operational
environment that encompasses space weather and space climate varies continuously on multiple timescales in response to forcing from the Sun, the heliosphere, and the underlying atmosphere. To advance
space weather and space climatology capabilities, it is essential to improve, and design appropriately,
the temporal and spatial coverage of space- and ground-based measurements. A mix of assets is needed:
(1) space-based measurements that provide the coverage necessary for detecting space weather hazards,
some of which cannot be discovered from the ground, and (2) ground-based measurements that provide
more extensive spatial coverage and a link to historical measurements. In Box 7.2 the survey committee
lists the highest-priority additional data needed, an initial step toward describing a notional new program
for NASA, building on the unique strengths of that agency.
New Elements
Essential components of a robust space environment operational program that will complement
what exists today or, in some cases, provide much needed continuity of critical capabilities, include the
following:
• Monitor the variable solar-heliospheric photon, particle, and magnetic field inputs with satellites at
L1 and L5.
• Monitor the geospace global and regional responses to the varying solar-heliospheric inputs with
Earth-orbiting satellites, one in a high-altitude orbit (geostationary Earth orbit [GEO], for ionospheric imaging) and one in a low-altitude orbit (low Earth orbit [LEO], for detailed regional sensing and radiation belt
monitoring).
• Develop, validate, test, and transition to operations physical and assimilative models of coupled
solar, heliospheric, and geospace properties for specification and forecasting of the extended operational
environment.
• Integrate relevant research efforts with operational activities to achieve seamless research to
operations/operations to research and identify emerging needs and advances.
• Leverage the strength of NASA’s community by taking advantage of principal-investigator-led missions, hosted payloads, and other innovative approaches such as the use of microsatellites.
• Coordinate with other complementary agency missions such as those of the National Science Foundation (NSF; supporting model development and ground-based observations), DOD and NOAA (providing
operational forecasts and space weather monitoring), Department of Energy (DOE; supporting modeling
and monitoring), and USGS (supporting ground-based magnetic observations).
From their quasi-stable orbits at the Earth-Sun L1 libration point, which is approximately 1.5 million
kilometers from Earth, instruments on NASA’s ACE and the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft continuously monitor the solar wind and provide solar coronagraph imaging, respectively. Information from ACE is used to
provide approximately 1 hour of warning of a geomagnetic storm. To sample solar wind structures 5 days
before they reach Earth and to provide global coverage of disturbances moving Earth-ward through the
inner heliosphere, a spacecraft could be located at L5, the gravitationally stable location approximately 60
degrees behind Earth in its orbit as seen from the Sun. From L5, solar activity behind the limb rotating Earthward could be observed; in addition, in situ sampling of solar wind structure at a longitude distinct from
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
140
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
A ROBUST SPACE WEATHER AND CLIMATOLOGY PROGRAM
Core Elements
Like Earth’s near-surface environment, where climate and weather occur, the extended operational
environment that encompasses space weather and space climate varies continuously on multiple timescales in response to forcing from the Sun, the heliosphere, and the underlying atmosphere. To advance
space weather and space climatology capabilities, it is essential to improve, and design appropriately,
the temporal and spatial coverage of space- and ground-based measurements. A mix of assets is needed:
(1) space-based measurements that provide the coverage necessary for detecting space weather hazards,
some of which cannot be discovered from the ground, and (2) ground-based measurements that provide
more extensive spatial coverage and a link to historical measurements. In Box 7.2 the survey committee
lists the highest-priority additional data needed, an initial step toward describing a notional new program
for NASA, building on the unique strengths of that agency.
New Elements
Essential components of a robust space environment operational program that will complement
what exists today or, in some cases, provide much needed continuity of critical capabilities, include the
following:
• Monitor the variable solar-heliospheric photon, particle, and magnetic field inputs with satellites at
L1 and L5.
• Monitor the geospace global and regional responses to the varying solar-heliospheric inputs with
Earth-orbiting satellites, one in a high-altitude orbit (geostationary Earth orbit [GEO], for ionospheric imaging) and one in a low-altitude orbit (low Earth orbit [LEO], for detailed regional sensing and radiation belt
monitoring).
• Develop, validate, test, and transition to operations physical and assimilative models of coupled
solar, heliospheric, and geospace properties for specification and forecasting of the extended operational
environment.
• Integrate relevant research efforts with operational activities to achieve seamless research to
operations/operations to research and identify emerging needs and advances.
• Leverage the strength of NASA’s community by taking advantage of principal-investigator-led missions, hosted payloads, and other innovative approaches such as the use of microsatellites.
• Coordinate with other complementary agency missions such as those of the National Science Foundation (NSF; supporting model development and ground-based observations), DOD and NOAA (providing
operational forecasts and space weather monitoring), Department of Energy (DOE; supporting modeling
and monitoring), and USGS (supporting ground-based magnetic observations).
From their quasi-stable orbits at the Earth-Sun L1 libration point, which is approximately 1.5 million
kilometers from Earth, instruments on NASA’s ACE and the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft continuously monitor the solar wind and provide solar coronagraph imaging, respectively. Information from ACE is used to
provide approximately 1 hour of warning of a geomagnetic storm. To sample solar wind structures 5 days
before they reach Earth and to provide global coverage of disturbances moving Earth-ward through the
inner heliosphere, a spacecraft could be located at L5, the gravitationally stable location approximately 60
degrees behind Earth in its orbit as seen from the Sun. From L5, solar activity behind the limb rotating Earthward could be observed; in addition, in situ sampling of solar wind structure at a longitude distinct from