STEREO Space Weather and the Space Weather Beacon

The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) is primarily a solar and interplanetary research mission, with one of the natural applications being in the area of space weather. The obvious potential for space weather applications is so great that NOAA has worked to incorporate the real-time data into their forecast center as much as possible. A subset of the STEREO data will be continuously downlinked in a real-time broadcast mode, called the Space Weather Beacon. Within the research community there has been considerable interest in conducting space weather related research with STEREO. Some of this research is geared towards making an immediate impact while other work is still very much in the research domain. There are many areas where STEREO might contribute and we cannot predict where all the successes will come. Here we discuss how STEREO will contribute to space weather and many of the specific research projects proposed to address STEREO space weather issues. The data which will be telemetered down in the Space Weather Beacon is also summarized here. Some of the lessons learned from integrating other NASA missions into the forecast center are presented. We also discuss some specific uses of the STEREO data in the NOAA Space Environment Center.     

The State of Space Weather Scientific Modeling—An Introduction

The discipline of “Space Weather” is built on the scientific foundation of solar-terrestrial physics but with a strong orientation toward applied research. Models describing the solar-terrestrial environment are therefore at the heart of this discipline, for both physical understanding of the processes involved and establishing the capability to predict the consequences of these processes. This issue of Space Science Reviews contains four topical reviews on primarily European scientific progress in understanding and modeling space weather phenomena. The four reviews deal with (i) monitoring, modeling and predicting solar weather, (ii) the radiation environment of the Earth, (iii) solar wind disturbances and their interaction with geospace, and (iv) the upper atmosphere’s response to space weather events.     

The NOAA Real-Time Solar-Wind (RTSW) System using ACE Data

The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) RTSW system is continuously monitoring the solar wind and produces warnings of impending major geomagnetic activity, up to one hour in advance. Warnings and alerts issued by NOAA allow those with systems sensitive to such activity to take preventative action. The RTSW system gathers solar wind and energetic particle data at high time resolution from four ACE instruments (MAG, SWEPAM, EPAM, and SIS), packs the data into a low-rate bit stream, and broadcasts the data continuously. NASA sends real-time data to NOAA each day when downloading science data. With a combination of dedicated ground stations (CRL in Japan and RAL in Great Britain), and time on existing ground tracking networks (NASA's DSN and the USAF's AFSCN), the RTSW system can receive data 24 hours per day throughout the year. The raw data are immediately sent from the ground station to the Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado, processed, and then delivered to its Space Weather Operations center where they are used in daily operations; the data are also delivered to the CRL Regional Warning Center at Hiraiso, Japan, to the USAF 55th Space Weather Squadron, and placed on the World Wide Web. The data are downloaded, processed and dispersed within 5 min from the time they leave ACE. The RTSW system also uses the low-energy energetic particles to warn of approaching interplanetary shocks, and to help monitor the flux of high-energy particles that can produce radiation damage in satellite systems. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Indian tracking and data acquisition facilities for low Earth andgeosynchronous satellites

To support its satellite program, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has an extensive infrastructure of ground support facilities throughout the country and abroad. The major elements include the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), and the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) control facilities. These facilities and their important role in supporting the Indian Space Program are described. The locations of the principal ISRO space control facilities within India are shown     

The exploration of Venus

This paper is an introduction to a special issue ofSpace Science Reviews dedicated to the exploration of Venus and the role played by the Pioneer Venus program. The Pioneer Venus program consists of a Multiprobe and Orbiter mission, both to be launched and to encounter Venus in 1978. The evolution of the program is traced from its conception in 1968 as the Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary Explorer Program through its transfer to Ames Research Center in 1971 as Pioneer Venus to the present.     

Space Weather Research in China

Recent progress in space weather research are briefly presented here from three aspects: establishment or improvement in observation systems, such as extra-soft X-ray detector and γ-ray detector onboard the spacecraft ‘Shen Zhou 2’, new solar radio broad-band spectrometer, magnetometer-chain, ionosonde and digisonde–chain, laser-lidar system and VHF radar; partial topic progresses included in CMEs, multi-streamer structures, evolution of interplanetary magnetic field B _z component, regional properties of traveling ionospheric disturbances, a fully-nonlinear global dynamical model for the middle and upper atmosphere, and a combined prediction method for geomagnetic disturbances; and space weather activity, such as ‘Meridian Project’ — a national major scientific project, ‘International Space Weather Meridian Circle Program’ — a suggestion of internationalization of ‘Meridian Project’, ‘Space Weather Research Plan’ — a major research plan from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC) and other space weather activities. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Intersatellite communications optoelectronics research at theGoddard Space Flight Center

A review is presented of current optoelectronics research and development at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for high-power, high-bandwidth laser transmitters; high-bandwidth, high-sensitivity optical receivers; pointing, acquisition, and tracking components; and experimental and theoretical system modeling at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Program hardware and space flight opportunities are presented     

高能电子对地球同步轨道卫星的影响分析

为了厘清在轨GEO(Geosynchronous Earth Orbit,地球同步轨道)卫星不时出现异常的原因,提高卫星执行任务的可靠性,首先从机理上介绍了空间环境中的地球辐射带及高能电子的情况,引出GEO卫星所处恶劣空间环境的现实;其次基于我国SEPC(Space Environment Prediction Center,国家空间环境预报中心)以及NSMC(National Satellite Meteorological Center,国家卫星气象中心)的空间环境月报资料,结合某GEO环境业务卫星故障的实际数据,经统计归纳,分析得出了地球辐射带中的高能电子是导致GEO卫星发生故障的主要原因;最后按照事例技术分析、常规按需预报和特殊情况下的实时预报等3个层次对高能电子预报方法进行了初步探讨。通过分析可以看出,为提高卫星完成任务的可靠性、降低长期管理风险,需要加强GEO卫星所处空间环境高能电子的预报工作。     

Intelligent control of a planning system for astronaut training

This work intends to design, analyze and solve, from the systems control perspective, a complex, dynamic, and multiconstrained planning system for generating training plans for crew members of the NASA-led International Space Station. Various intelligent planning systems have been developed within the framework of artificial intelligence. These planning systems generally lack a rigorous mathematical formalism to allow a reliable and flexible methodology for their design, modeling, and performance analysis in a dynamical, time-critical, and multiconstrained environment. Formulating the planning problem in the domain of discrete-event systems under a unified framework such that it can be modeled, designed, and analyzed as a control system will provide a self-contained theory for such planning systems. This will also provide a means to certify various planning systems for operations in the dynamical and complex environments in space. The work presented here completes the design, development, and analysis of an intricate, large-scale, and representative mathematical formulation for intelligent control of a real planning system for Space Station crew training. This planning system has been tested and used at NASA-Johnson Space Center     

STEREO Ground Segment, Science Operations, and Data Archive

Vitally important to the success of any mission is the ground support system used for commanding the spacecraft, receiving the telemetry, and processing the results. We describe the ground system used for the STEREO mission, consisting of the Mission Operations Center, the individual Payload Operations Centers for each instrument, and the STEREO Science Center, together with mission support from the Flight Dynamics Facility, Deep Space Mission System, and the Space Environment Center. The mission planning process is described, as is the data flow from spacecraft telemetry to processed science data to long-term archive. We describe the online resources that researchers will be able to use to access STEREO planning resources, science data, and analysis software. The STEREO Joint Observations Program system is described, with instructions on how observers can participate. Finally, we describe the near-real-time processing of the “space weather beacon” telemetry, which is a low telemetry rate quicklook product available close to 24 hours a day, with the intended use of space weather forecasting.     

SOHO operations and ground system

SOHO is a joint ESA/NASA mission to study the sun from its interior to, and including, the solar wind in interplanetary space. It is currently scheduled for launch in 1995. After launch SOHO with be operated from the Experiment Operations Facility (EOF) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The EOF will consist of facilities for instrument commanding, data reception, data reduction and data analysis. In this paper the operations concepts including instrument ground commanding from the EOF and communications capabilities between the EOF and ground observatories and the public networks in general will be described.     

空间摩擦学及其材料的研究进展

综述了空间苛刻服役环境及其对空间摩擦学材料性能影响的研究,深入分析了空间环境对空间摩擦材料、空间耐磨材料和空间减摩材料摩擦磨损机理的影响。空间摩擦材料主要应用于空间对接机构及空间机械臂中,应具有稳定的摩擦力矩与优良的抗黏着磨损性能。空间耐磨材料主要应用于空间轴承、齿轮和密封件等部件中,如FeAl金属间化合物在高温下抗蠕变性急剧下降,常通过添加金属元素(Ce,Cr,Mn,Mo,Nb,W等)及固体润滑剂提高材料抗蠕变性能;Ti及其合金常通过表面改性改善黏着性;与基体结合性良好的耐磨涂层可以较大程度的改善材料的耐磨性。空间减摩材料主要指润滑剂与自润滑材料,如软金属Pb、高分子材料PI和PTFE等,以及某些金属的氧化物,氟化物和硫化物等,能较好地降低材料表面的摩擦因数。随着航天科技的发展,亟须开发新型高性能空间摩擦学材料,建立摩擦学材料数据库,以应对国际航天技术发展的挑战。     

欧洲空间天气计划

简要介绍了空间天气的基本概念,并对欧洲空间天气计划的效益分析、用户需求、实施方案等方面的内容进行介绍。     

Japanese satellite program on the solar research for the coming solar maximum

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is developing a satellite dedicated to high-energy observations of solar flares. The Solar-A will be launched in August–September, 1991, from the Kagoshima Space Center on board a M3S-II vehicle. The instrument complement emphasizes hard X-ray and soft X-ray imaging, with both high resolution (2.4 arc sec pixel size) and full-Sun field of view. Solar-A contains instruments supplied in part by U.S. and U.K. experimenters. This paper describes the instrumentation and the tentative observing program.     

The STEREO Observatory

The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) is the third mission in NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Probes program. The mission is managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and implemented by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). This two-year mission provides a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun–Earth system. Consisting of two nearly identical observatories, one ahead of Earth in its orbit around the Sun and the other trailing behind the Earth, the spacecraft trace the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth and reveal the three-dimensional structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to help explain their genesis and propagation. From its unique side-viewing vantage point, STEREO also provides alerts for Earth-directed solar ejections. These alerts are broadcast at all times and received either by NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) or by various space-weather partners.     

Cosmic Rays in Relation to Space Weather

A review of selected experimental results relevant for the use of cosmic ray records in Space Weather research is presented. Interplanetary perturbations, initiated in the solar atmosphere, affect galactic cosmic rays. In some cases their influence on the cosmic ray intensity results in data signatures that can possibly be used to predict geomagnetic storm onsets. Case studies illustrating the complexity of the cosmic ray effects and related geomagnetic activity precursors are discussed. It is shown that some indices for cosmic ray activity are good tools for testing the reliability of cosmic ray characteristics for Space Weather forecasts. A brief summary of the influence of cosmic rays on the ozone layer is also given. The use of cosmic ray data for Space Weather purposes is still in its infant stage, but suggestions for both case and statistical studies are made. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Risks of particle hits during space walks in low Earth orbit

The construction of the International Space Station (ISS) may involve several thousand hours of space walks or “extravehicular activities” (EVAs). Among the many risks involved in EVAs, we focus here on potential failures of the external maneuvering unit (EMU) caused by impacts of space particles (micro-meteoroids and orbital debris). We present a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) model based on available data for the particle flux in low Earth orbit as well as test data obtained at Johnson Space Center about the capacity of the current EMU to absorb these loads. We computed the risk for a peak year of EVA activity, assumed by NASA to consist of 624 hours of EVA exposure. For that time period, we found that, the probability of a fatality is about 1.4*10^-3 without shielding and 1.1*10^-3 per 624 hours of EVA with shielding, This model can be used as support for a number of decisions regarding space suit design, astronaut shielding options, and overall number of EVA hours for space station construction and operation     

ATS-6 Experiment Summary

The ATS-6 is the most advanced experimental satellite that has evolved from the Application Technology Satellite Program conducted and implemented by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC). This project utilizes a state-of-the-art spacecraft and ground terminal network to perform advance studies and to conduct technological demonstrations in a large number of scientific areas. The design and implementation of this unique spacecraft permitted multiple experimentation simultaneously. The control of the spacecraft is performed at ATS Operational Control Center (ATSOCC) located at NASA/GSFC. Experimentation which was performed covered a wide spectrum of communications, technological, meterorological, and scientific subjects. Three principal ground terminals are utilized to assist the experimenters to acquire data. Data reduction and analysis are performed by the many facilities at NASA/GSFC in support of the experimenters.     

Shuttle performance improvements through multiple database integration

The ability to model and analyze system performance is a key enabler when you are extending the operational life of complex systems. This is especially true when the system is operating in a hostile environment, such as space. This paper discusses a change made to the Space Shuttle main engines (SSMES) that affected the solid rocket booster (SRB) performance, and illustrates how databases maintained by the different subsystem contractors can be integrated, correlated, and evaluated to improve a subsystem component performance model. The enhanced model can be used not only for better prediction of component performance on the existing system, but can be used on upgrades to the system, or the next generation space shuttle solid rocket. motor.