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CommunityPerspective:GeoSpace ObservationsandAnalysis

Prof.JeffThayerAerospaceEngineeringSciences

Department

OBSERVATIONANDANALYSISOPPORTUNITIESCOLLABORATINGWITHTHEICONANDGOLDMISSIONS,BOULDERSEPT.27,2016

SelectStrategicPlanningDocuments

• Decadalsurvey,2013-2022 NRC,SSB• HeliophysicsRoadmap 2014-2033 NASA• LWSProgram2015-2025 NASA• GSPortfolioReview2016 NSF,GEO• NSFDynamicEarth,2015-2022 NSF,GEO• SpaceWeatherStrategy/ActionPlan2015 OSTP• CEDARNewDimension 2012 NSF

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DecadalStrategyforSolarandSpacePhysicsGeospace DynamicsConstellation(GDC)

TheprimaryfocusoftheGDCmissionistorevealhowtheatmosphere,ionosphereandmagnetospherearecoupledtogetherasasystemandtounderstandhowthissystemregulatestheresponseofgeospace toexternalenergyinput.

Quo Vadis WorkshopsMay 25-27, 2016 Boulder CO

Theseworkshopswereorganizedtohelpshapethedirectionofresearchingeospace withanemphasisoncrystalizingaresearchprogramattheNSFonspaceweather.Theworkshopsfocusedonthescientificchallengesandexperimentalinfrastructurerequiredfordiscoveryresearchinthe21stcentury,withconsiderationforbothbasicandappliedresearchdrivenbycuttingedgeobservationsoftheSun-Earthsystem.

AlsoCEDAR / GEM / SHINE Workshops June 20-24, 2016

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Quo Vadis Workshops

Workshop Charge:

• What major gaps in scientific understanding or engineering capability limits our ability to describe Sun-Earth connections?

• Where is discovery science likely to occur?

• How can we predict the occurrence of, and reaction to, space weather?

• Can we create compelling science questions that unify the entire geospacecommunity, have demonstrable societal relevance, and engage the public imagination?

Quo Vadis Workshops

Findings:

• Chromospheric and coronal magnetic field are the gate-keepers of space weather but the processes producing space weather are poorly understood.

• Propagation of solar disturbances through the interplanetary medium requires more robust characterization and tracking.

• Plasma and energy transport across geospace domains during space weather events occurs in several forms and on varying temporal and spatial scales that have yet to be resolved.

• The majority of space weather energy transferred to the near-space environment is absorbed by the neutral gas only to be redistributed through pathways that rely on inadequate knowledge of the thermosphere neutral gas and its interaction with the ionosphere plasma.

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Dimensions of Geospace Sampling:

Quo Vadis Workshops

Spatial

Temporal

Capabilities

Continued/autonomousoperationNaturaltimescalesofchangeinthesystem

Distributedarraysofinstruments(optical,magnetic,radar)Smallsatelliteformationsandconstellations

MREFC:WholeatmosphereLIDARSolarwind/magnetosphereradarCOronal SolarMagnetismObservatory

NASAITMMissions

Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk

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TIMED-CEDARCollaboration– The“Fifth”Instrument

• APLHostedaseriesofTIMED-CEDARWorkshops(MeetingatTurfValleyHotelinJan7&8,1998)– Identifyscienceobjectivesthatcanbeuniquelyaddressedbythe

combinedcapabilitiesoftheGBandS/C– Addressnear-termneedsinGBcapabilitytosupportS/C

measurements– CoordinateGBcampaignswithS/Cmodes

• NSFEstablishedacallwithinCEDARtosupportGBactivitiesinpreparationforTIMEDobservations– May19981st CEDARcompetition:1yearduration

• NASA-NSFestablishedajointTIMEDProgramAnnouncementin1999:3-yearduration

Challenges• DonotconsiderICONasanequatorialmission,theITsystemdoes

notoperateinisolation

• GOLDisatrailblazerindevelopingstrategiccapabilityfromhostedcommercialspacecrafttomakeglobal-scaleatmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphereimagingmeasurement

• Engageandchallengeyoungmindstoapproachproblemsdifferentlyandofferthemopportunitytoexplorethesenewapproaches.

• Developaunifyingstrategicplanforobservatories,models,andtheoryacrossagenciesandindustriestoadvancegeospaceresearch.

• Contributeyourfindings,time,andenergytohelpyourprogrammanagersandyourcommunityremainvibrant

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SpaceWeather:Theunifyingtheme

Whatisunderthespaceweatherumbrella?

Effectsonpowersystems?YesEffectsoncommunications?YesEffectsonNavigation?YesHumansurvivalinspace?SureSpacedebrismonitoring?SureAsteroidimpact?Seemsreasonable.Discovery!Yes.

Canwe,asacommunity,agreetoanN-prongdefinitionofspaceweatherthatisactionableandresponsible?SWAP

Solar-terrestrialinteractions

Canwecreatecompellingsciencequestionsthatunifytheentiregeospace community,havedemonstrablesocietalrelevance,andengagethepublicimagination?

Whatismissing?AunifyingstrategicplanforITMobservatories,models,andtheory.AnITMcommunityfocusonscientificpriorities.