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NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations
November 04, 2009Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Space Science Division and Spacecraft Engineering Department offers a first of its kind technique for remote sensing of the ionosphere and thermosphere from space.
Flying on-orbit the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F18 (flight 18) satellite, SSULI's characterization of the Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere provide the necessary scientific data to support military and civil systems. The upper atmosphere affects many systems from global to tactical scales including GPS positioning, High-Frequency (HF) radio communications, satellite drag and orbit determination, and over the horizon radar.
"Space Weather can impact systems in both the military and civilian sectors," said Sean Lynch, program manager, NRL Spacecraft Engineering Department. "Observations acquired by SSULI will be processed at the Air Force Weather Agency to generate products to provide a more accurate representation of the atmosphere at a level that can directly affect civilian and military assets."
Offering global observations, that yield near real-time altitude profiles of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere, over an extended period of time, SSULI makes measurements from the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to the far ultraviolet (FUV) over the wavelength range of 80 nanometers (nm) to 170 nm with 2.4 nm resolution.
Building on the successes of the NRL High Resolution Airglow/Aurora Spectroscopy (HIRAAS) experiment flown aboard the Space Test Program (STP) Advanced Research and Global Observations Satellite (ARGOS), SSULI also measures the electron density and neutral density profiles of the emitting atmospheric constituents. SSULI uses a spectrograph with a mirror capable of scanning below the satellite horizon from 10 degrees to 27 degrees every 90 seconds. These observations represent a vertical slice of the Earth's atmosphere from 750 kilometers (km) to 50 km in depth.
"The performance characteristics of this sensor are outstanding," said Andrew Nicholas, SSULI principal investigator, NRL Space Science Division. "SSULI measures vertical profiles of the natural airglow radiation from atoms, molecules and ions in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere and enables the development of new techniques for global ionospheric remote sensing and new models of global electron density variation."
Models being developed include the Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements. GAIM applies novel and sophisticated data assimilation techniques to space weather forecasting and will become an operational ionospheric model providing real-time ionospheric specification and forecasts for Department of Defense (DoD) and civilian customers.
An extensive data processing suite was developed to support on-orbit observations and flight operations. It includes data reduction software using unique science algorithms developed at NRL and comprehensive data validation techniques. After launch, the SSULI sensor, software, and derived atmospheric specification will undergo an extensive validation. After validation, SSULI products will be distributed by AFWA to support operational DoD systems.
Naval Research Laboratory
Offering global observations, that yield near real-time altitude profiles of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere, over an extended period of time, SSULI makes measurements from the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to the far ultraviolet (FUV) over the wavelength range of 80 nanometers (nm) to 170 nm with 2.4 nm resolution.
Building on the successes of the NRL High Resolution Airglow/Aurora Spectroscopy (HIRAAS) experiment flown aboard the Space Test Program (STP) Advanced Research and Global Observations Satellite (ARGOS), SSULI also measures the electron density and neutral density profiles of the emitting atmospheric constituents. SSULI uses a spectrograph with a mirror capable of scanning below the satellite horizon from 10 degrees to 27 degrees every 90 seconds. These observations represent a vertical slice of the Earth's atmosphere from 750 kilometers (km) to 50 km in depth.
"The performance characteristics of this sensor are outstanding," said Andrew Nicholas, SSULI principal investigator, NRL Space Science Division. "SSULI measures vertical profiles of the natural airglow radiation from atoms, molecules and ions in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere and enables the development of new techniques for global ionospheric remote sensing and new models of global electron density variation."
Models being developed include the Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements. GAIM applies novel and sophisticated data assimilation techniques to space weather forecasting and will become an operational ionospheric model providing real-time ionospheric specification and forecasts for Department of Defense (DoD) and civilian customers.
An extensive data processing suite was developed to support on-orbit observations and flight operations. It includes data reduction software using unique science algorithms developed at NRL and comprehensive data validation techniques. After launch, the SSULI sensor, software, and derived atmospheric specification will undergo an extensive validation. After validation, SSULI products will be distributed by AFWA to support operational DoD systems.
Naval Research Laboratory
Ionosphere Current Events and Ionosphere News RSSA Lightning Strike in Africa Helps Take the Pulse of the Sun
Sunspots, which rotate around the sun's surface, tell us a great deal about our own planet. Scientists rely on them, for instance, to measure the sun's rotation or to prepare long-range forecasts of the Earth's health.
Scientists discover surprise in Earth's upper atmosphere
UCLA atmospheric scientists have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere. The research, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, could improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft that operate in the upper atmosphere.
Scientists make first discovery using revolutionary long wavelength demonstrator array
Scientists from NRL's Space Science and Remote Sensing Divisions, in collaboration with researchers from the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) located in Socorro, N.M., have generated the first scientific results from the Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array (LWDA).
The search for ET just got easier
Astronomers using the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma have confirmed an effective way to search the atmospheres of planets for signs of life, vastly improving our chances of finding alien life outside our solar system.
New research contributes to defense of Earth's technologies
University of Leicester researchers have taken a step forward in helping to create a defence for earth's technologies -from the constant threat of space weather.
SRI Logo SRI International Announces Findings from New Upper Atmospheric Radar System Built for Scientific Research
SRI International, an independent nonprofit research institute, announced today that early scientific results are now available from the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR), a modular, transportable radar system funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that has recently completed the first two years of operation.
Scientists pinpoint the 'edge of space'
Where does space begin? Scientists at the University of Calgary have created a new instrument that is able to track the transition between the relatively gentle winds of Earth's atmosphere and the more violent flows of charged particles in space - flows that can reach speeds well over 1000 km/hr. And they have accomplished this in unprecedented detail.
Arecibo joins global network to create 6,000-mile telescope
On May 22, Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico joined other telescopes in North America, South America, Europe and Africa in simultaneously observing the same targets, simulating a telescope more than 6,800 miles (almost 11,000 kilometers) in diameter.
Naval Research Laboratory to design lunar telescope to see into the dark ages
A team of scientists and engineers led by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will study how to design a telescope on the Moon for peering into the last unexplored epoch in the Universe's history.
Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar
Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give scientists the data they need to investigate the evolution of the two planets' atmospheres.
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The Earth's Ionosphere, Volume 96, Second Edition: Plasma Physics & Electrodynamics (International Geophysics) by Michael C. Kelley (Author) Although interesting in its own right, due to the ever increasing use of satellites for communication and navigation, weather in the ionosphere is of great concern. Every such system uses trans-ionospheric propagation of radiowaves, waves which must traverse the often turbulent ionosphere. Understanding this turbulence and predicting it are one of the major goals of the National Space Weather program. Acquiring such a prediction capability will rest on understanding the very topics of this book, the plasma physics and electrodynamics of the system. *Fully updated to reflect advances in the field in the 20 years since the first edition published *Explores the buffeting of the ionosphere from above by the sun and from below by the lower... |
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Ionosphere by Ionosphere Did you know that the ionosphere makes noise? Or that that noise is actually possible to record? This recording shows that the ionosphere, part of the upper atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation, can indeed be recorded. Here you have the opportunity to listen to the electrical static in stereo synchronized from recordings made at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Incidentally, this is a Cook classic, especially favored by DJs and spin artists. | |
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Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry (Cambridge Atmospheric and Space Science Series) by Robert W. Schunk (Author), Andrew F. Nagy (Author) Ionospheres provides a comprehensive description of the physical, plasma and chemical processes controlling the behavior of ionospheres. The relevant transport equations and related coefficients are derived in detail and their applicability and limitations are described. Relevant wave processes are outlined and important ion chemical processes and reaction rates are presented. The various energy deposition and transfer mechanisms are described in some detail, and a chapter is devoted to the various processes controlling the upper atmosphere and exosphere. The second half of the book presents our current understanding of the structure, chemistry, dynamics and energetics of the terrestrial ionosphere, and other solar system bodies. The final chapter describes ionospheric measurement... |
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Another World Ionosphere (Primary Contributor) |
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Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry (Cambridge Atmospheric and Space Science Series) by Cambridge University Press (Publisher) This combination of text and reference book describes the physical, plasma and chemical processes controlling the behavior of ionospheres, upper atmospheres and exospheres. It summarizes the structure, chemistry, dynamics and energetics of the terrestrial ionosphere and other solar system bodies, and discusses the processes, mechanisms and transport equations for solving fundamental research problems. This second edition incorporates new results, model developments and interpretations from the last 10 years. It includes the latest material on neutral atmospheres; the terrestrial ionosphere at low, middle and high latitudes; and planetary atmospheres and ionospheres, where results from recent space missions have yielded fresh data. Appendices outline physical constants, mathematical... |
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Messages from the Ionosphere by Diane Marie Kloba Diane Marie Kloba (Performer) Messages from the Ionosphere is the third solo album by Chicago-area songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Diane Marie Kloba. It is her second release on Striped Shirt Records. For those unfamiliar with Kloba’s prior efforts, the music is generally in a minimalist modern rock idiom, built on a foundation of guitar and percussion. Messages from the Ionosphere also includes some forays into other musical territory like beat poetry, psychedelic experimentation and even a touch of bent jazz. Urgent vocals are backed with hip-hop style shouts that serve as a "Greek chorus" to the song’s drama. |
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Meta III Ionosphere (Primary Contributor) |
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The Propagation of Radio Waves: The Theory of Radio Waves of Low Power in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere by K. G. Budden (Author) This book is concerned with the ionosphere and the magnetosphere, and the theory of their effect on radio waves. It includes accounts of some mathematical topics now widely used in this study, particularly W. K. B. approximations, Airy integral functions and integration by steepest descents. The subject is divided into ray theory and full wave theory. Ray theory is useful for high frequencies when the ionosphere is treated as a horizonally stratified medium. The discussion of the magnetosphere, whose structure is more complicated, includes an account of whistlers and ion cyclotron whistlers. The book has been planned both for final year undergraduates and as a reference book for research. It is suitable as a course book on radio propagation for students of physics or electrical... |
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Radio Waves in the Ionosphere by K. G. Budden (Author) First published in 1961, this book gives the full mathematical theory of the propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere and their reflection from it. It is complementary to J. A. Ratcliffe's books The Magneto-ionic Theory, which concentrates on the physical principles involved, since Dr Budden gives the mathematical development of many topics mentioned by Ratcliffe. The book will serve as a textbook for those comparatively new to the subject and as a reference book for practising engineers and research workers in the field of radio communication, for whom an understanding of the mathematical methods is important in solving practical problems. |
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Ionosphere Liquid Abyss (Performer) |
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