Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
142
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
A space weather and climatology program would encompass long-term planning for critical measurements, such as the L1 solar and solar wind measurements currently acquired from ACE and SOHO. The
survey committee endorses DSCOVR as a temporary interagency solution to the current lack of continuity
beyond ACE, which was launched in August 1997, of L1 plasma and field measurements essential to current space weather models, while advocating the need to have a plan beyond DSCOVR for continuous and
comprehensive L1 coverage. NASA is uniquely qualified to develop, build, launch, and operate spacecraft
in Earth orbit and beyond, including the recommended measurements at L1 and L5 (as described in a
number of white papers 8 ). Operating such spacecraft requires use of the Deep Space Network, for example.
Below, the survey committee describes new (notional) agency-specific activities that are needed to
develop the required capabilities. The program builds on critical existing capabilities, which are described
in Chapter 4 for all participating agencies. Organization of the new activities is not discussed here; however, a key recommendation is to recharter the NSWP at a level of the federal government appropriate for
strategic support and coordination (see Chapter 4). Availability of new resources is assumed for the notional
space weather and climatology program implementation elements for each agency.
NSF
NSF would be enabled to provide real-time monitoring by means of its set of ground-based facilities. 9
Ground-based facilities include radars, lidars, magnetometers, and solar observatories such as the Global
Oscillation Network Group, Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun, and the Advanced
Technology Solar Telescope. NSF would also be enabled to provide key data streams from platforms such
as Iridium and to support space weather model development.
NOAA and DOD
Both NOAA and DOD would be enabled to transition models, developed as part of this vision, into
operations, and they would be enabled to utilize any new data streams provided by an implementation of
this vision to enhance operational services.
DOE
DOE, in cooperation with DOD, would be enabled to provide both continuity of, as well as access
to, real-time data streams from space weather sensors on geosynchronous and GPS satellite platforms.
Commercial Sector
The United States would have a healthy commercial sector enabled to develop tailored space weather
products for specific applications.
8 The survey committee and panels reviewed 288 mission concept white papers, which were submitted in response to an invitation to the research community. The survey’s request for information is reproduced in Appendix H, and the submissions that were
received in response are listed in Appendix I and supplied on the CD that contains this report.
9 Important ground-based assets are operated by the Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey’s Geomagnetism Program,
which provides high-quality, ground-based magnetometer data continuously from 13 observatories distributed across the United
States and its territories. The program collects, transports, and can disseminate these data in near-real time, and it also has significant
data-processing and data-management capacities.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
142
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
A space weather and climatology program would encompass long-term planning for critical measurements, such as the L1 solar and solar wind measurements currently acquired from ACE and SOHO. The
survey committee endorses DSCOVR as a temporary interagency solution to the current lack of continuity
beyond ACE, which was launched in August 1997, of L1 plasma and field measurements essential to current space weather models, while advocating the need to have a plan beyond DSCOVR for continuous and
comprehensive L1 coverage. NASA is uniquely qualified to develop, build, launch, and operate spacecraft
in Earth orbit and beyond, including the recommended measurements at L1 and L5 (as described in a
number of white papers 8 ). Operating such spacecraft requires use of the Deep Space Network, for example.
Below, the survey committee describes new (notional) agency-specific activities that are needed to
develop the required capabilities. The program builds on critical existing capabilities, which are described
in Chapter 4 for all participating agencies. Organization of the new activities is not discussed here; however, a key recommendation is to recharter the NSWP at a level of the federal government appropriate for
strategic support and coordination (see Chapter 4). Availability of new resources is assumed for the notional
space weather and climatology program implementation elements for each agency.
NSF
NSF would be enabled to provide real-time monitoring by means of its set of ground-based facilities. 9
Ground-based facilities include radars, lidars, magnetometers, and solar observatories such as the Global
Oscillation Network Group, Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun, and the Advanced
Technology Solar Telescope. NSF would also be enabled to provide key data streams from platforms such
as Iridium and to support space weather model development.
NOAA and DOD
Both NOAA and DOD would be enabled to transition models, developed as part of this vision, into
operations, and they would be enabled to utilize any new data streams provided by an implementation of
this vision to enhance operational services.
DOE
DOE, in cooperation with DOD, would be enabled to provide both continuity of, as well as access
to, real-time data streams from space weather sensors on geosynchronous and GPS satellite platforms.
Commercial Sector
The United States would have a healthy commercial sector enabled to develop tailored space weather
products for specific applications.
8 The survey committee and panels reviewed 288 mission concept white papers, which were submitted in response to an invitation to the research community. The survey’s request for information is reproduced in Appendix H, and the submissions that were
received in response are listed in Appendix I and supplied on the CD that contains this report.
9 Important ground-based assets are operated by the Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey’s Geomagnetism Program,
which provides high-quality, ground-based magnetometer data continuously from 13 observatories distributed across the United
States and its territories. The program collects, transports, and can disseminate these data in near-real time, and it also has significant
data-processing and data-management capacities.