Right Questions: Wrong ANSWERS

Extending from thirty to some six-hundred miles above the planet’s surface, the ionosphere—as the appellation suggests—is that part of the Earth’s atmosphere that’s ionized.

Readers who failed, never took, or have forgotten high school chemistry (or physics) are reminded that ionization is the process by which atoms acquire negative or positive charges by gaining or losing electrons.

The ionosphere—which is ionized by solar radiation—has practical importance insomuch as it influences the transmission of electromagnetic waves—such as radio, and television signals.

To the chagrin of terrestrial and orbital broadcasters alike, the ionosphere is an unpredictable medium—at times smoothly and predictably reflecting data and communication transmissions, while at other times bouncing or scrambling them into oblivion. 

The ability to predict the ionosphere’s mood-swings would be a boon to many technological endeavors, business concerns, militaries, and ham radio operators. Ergo, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has concocted a research scheme it calls the Space Weather Challenge. Appositely, the undertaking encompasses solar and space physics, space weather, and space climate.

To improve understanding of space weather risks, the NSF awarded nearly $524,000 to Clemson University researcher Xian Lu, who will work in collaboration with researchers at Embry-Riddle, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory, and Virginia Tech.

The award was made under the NSF’s Grand Challenges in Integrative Geospace Sciences: Advancing National Space Weather Expertise and Research toward Societal Resilience Solicitation (ANSWERS).

The NSF noted in a news release: “These topics are critical to advancing scientific discovery and to protecting the nation's economy and security. Solar and space weather events such as geomagnetic storms pose hazards to satellite communications, navigation systems, electrical power and other aspects of a technology-dependent society.”

FMI: www.nsf.gov, www.erau.edu