CU instrument to help forecast space weather

A $32 million University of Colorado at Boulder instrument package that was scheduled for launch this week by NASA could help scientists better understand the violent effects the sun can have on space weather, which affect satellites, power grids, ground communications systems and even astronauts and aircraft crews.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment, or EVE, is flying on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, the space agency’s first mission as part of its “Living With a Star” program. EVE will measure rapid fluctuations in the sun’s extreme ultraviolet (EUV) output that can have profound effects on Earth’s upper atmosphere, according to Tom Woods of CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, principal investigator on the EVE experiment.

EVE includes two spectrographs built at the CU lab that measure solar EUV radiation faster and at a higher resolution than before, providing scientists and space weather forecasters with the information to provide more accurate, real-time warnings of communications and navigation outages.

In addition to heating the atmosphere and increasing satellite drag, EUV radiation also can shatter the bonds of atmospheric molecules and atoms, creating a layer of charged particles that can disturb radio communications and GPS on Earth, said Woods.

Solar cycles, which drive space weather, generally last about 11 years, said Woods. While the sun has been in a very quiet “minimum” phase in recent years, a series of violent solar events known as the “Halloween Storms” of 2003 included a large number of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that had dramatic effects on Earth’s navigation and communication systems.

Data will be transmitted to LASP's Space Technology Building at the CU Research Park for analysis.

For more information on the mission, including multimedia links and downloadable video, animation and images, visit http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/.