Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) project launched 20 balloons from Antarctica to study the Van Allen Belts space weather phenomenon.
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission is scheduled to launch in June 2013. IRIS will deepen our understanding of how heat and energy move through the lower atmosphere of the sun.
On May 17, 2013, the sun erupted with an Earth-directed CME that can reach Earth one to three days later and affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground.
While we need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather, some people worry that a gigantic flare could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible.
The Heliophysics Science Division conducts research on the Sun, its extended solar-system environment (the heliosphere), and interactions of Earth, other planets, small bodies, and interstellar gas with the heliosphere. Division research also encompasses geospace -- Earth's uppermost atmosphere, the ionosphere, and the magnetosphere -- and the changing environmental conditions throughout the coupled heliosphere (solar system weather).
Scientists in the Heliophysics Science Division develop models, spacecraft missions and instruments, and systems to manage and disseminate heliophysical data. They interpret and evaluate data gathered from instruments, draw comparisons with computer simulations and theoretical models, and publish the results. The Division also conducts education and public outreach programs to communicate the excitement and social value of NASA heliophysics.
Contact Us
Susan M Hendrix
301.286.7745
General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center may be directed to the Office of Communications at 1.301.286.8955.
