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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
146
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The program described above would help meet the growing space weather needs of the United States.
However, given scarce resources, the survey committee recommends implementation only under circumstances that would not delay the development or the timely execution of the recommended programs for
NASA that are shown in Figure 6.1.
SUMMARY COMMENTS
NASA is the appropriate agency to ensure that critical data sources for space weather forecasts and
operations are sustained. A suitable vehicle may be a new heliophysics space weather and climatology
program whose primary focus would be on obtaining societally relevant data and observations. This program could be implemented in concert with relevant research programs underway in academia and in
government laboratories, and it would leverage opportunities in the commercial sector and capitalize on
the strength of NASA’s science community. Recognizing the importance of modeling to the forecasting of
terrestrial weather, the program would also support model development and model applications to space
weather forecasting, applying the latest advances in modeling capabilities and the most advanced data
sources to drive models. The new activity could make its space weather information available to interests
in the United States and beyond, and coordinate its relevant activities with DOD and NOAA operations,
as well as the commercial and international space weather communities.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
146
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The program described above would help meet the growing space weather needs of the United States.
However, given scarce resources, the survey committee recommends implementation only under circumstances that would not delay the development or the timely execution of the recommended programs for
NASA that are shown in Figure 6.1.
SUMMARY COMMENTS
NASA is the appropriate agency to ensure that critical data sources for space weather forecasts and
operations are sustained. A suitable vehicle may be a new heliophysics space weather and climatology
program whose primary focus would be on obtaining societally relevant data and observations. This program could be implemented in concert with relevant research programs underway in academia and in
government laboratories, and it would leverage opportunities in the commercial sector and capitalize on
the strength of NASA’s science community. Recognizing the importance of modeling to the forecasting of
terrestrial weather, the program would also support model development and model applications to space
weather forecasting, applying the latest advances in modeling capabilities and the most advanced data
sources to drive models. The new activity could make its space weather information available to interests
in the United States and beyond, and coordinate its relevant activities with DOD and NOAA operations,
as well as the commercial and international space weather communities.