DSCOVR Solves
Real Time satellite data critical for solvency
Baker et al, University of Colorado Boulder Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, 2008
(Daniel, Space Studies Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of the National Academies “Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts Workshop Report: Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe Space Weather Events:A Workshop, National Research Council” http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12507.html, 2008, accessed 7-21-11, ASR)
Space weather clearly affects our technological systems and society. This workshop session presented four diverse examples of industries that manage or support technological systems that are directly affected by space weather: electrical power grid operators; precision geo-locations services; satellite manufacturing, launching, and operations, and the U.S. Air Force. In an effort to mitigate the impacts of space weather, each has responded by monitoring and reacting to current conditions, utilizing existing space weather data sources and services, and adding its own industry-unique assessment. Space weather data are collected by satellites or ground-based observatories (e.g., ground-based magnetometer stations that study geomagnetic fields or riometers that monitor the state of the ionosphere). Some government services, such as NOAA’s SWPC, have been established that provide some data collection, interpretation, and dissemination services that are utilized by industry (e.g., solar proton event intensity is used by spacecraft operators when making launch decisions, and by airlines in deciding on polar route diversion). Some rudimentary forecasting and alerts have been established and are utilized by industry to prevent imminent problems (e.g., power grid operators use ACE satellite data to secure the grid against an imminent geomagnetic storm). These services have allowed industries to minimize the disruptions caused by space weather, to the benefit of their millions of customers and society as a whole. The existing systems in place were deemed extremely beneficial (10 on a scale of 1 to 10) by the session’s speakers. The session’s speakers indicated, however, that more could be done. First, a plan is needed to transition from scientific research platforms to continuously operating platforms in order to maintain the current data streams and alerts with continuous and redundant systems. Some of the research assets that industry currently depends on (e.g., ACE) are nearing the end of their life, and no plan is in place for a replacement. Second, each industry representative indicated that a reliable 24-hour forecast would be of significant value to reducing risks and disruptions, typically ranking it between 8 and 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Currently available warnings are of little value to some industries, such as precision geo-location, because of the large number of false alarms and missed alarms. In short, workshop participants learned that many industries have found a use for space weather data and have come to depend on current sources for that data to safeguard their technological systems and the services they provide to society. The industries represented in this session want to continue to have access to the near-real-time data they currently get, and they would eagerly adopt credible 24-hour forecasts when available.
DSCOVR would replace ACE in time for the upcoming solar maximum and be able to provide advance warning for space weather
Foust, 11 – editor and publisher of The Space Review (2-21-2011, Jeff, The Space Review, “When the Sun Sneezes,” http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1783/1) EB
Another key satellite for space weather studies and warnings is the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), located at the Earth-Sun L1 point about 1.5 million kilometers Sunward of Earth. It can provide advanced warning of the slower charged particles that follow the initial storm, arriving at Earth as long as 48 to 72 hours later. Because of its location, it can measure the severity of that charged particle front and transmit that data to the Earth at the speed of light roughly 20–30 minutes before the particles arrive, giving governments and businesses a last-minute warning to take steps to mitigate the storm’s effects. The problem, though, is that ACE is a geriatric satellite: launched in 1997, it has long exceeded its planned lifetime. “When people ask me what keeps me awake at night, it’s whether or not that satellite will be running the next morning when I get up,” Bogdan said. ACE is likely to stop working no later than 2021, when it’s projected to use up all its propellant. To address this, the NOAA 2012 budget proposal, released last week, includes $47.3 million to refurbish the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite and install on it a coronal mass ejection imager instrument. DSCOVR, like ACE, would be located at the Earth-Sun L1 point, with a launch planned by 2014, near the expected end of the upcoming peak in solar activity. DSCOVR has been sitting in storage for years after being initially developed as Triana, a project instigated by then Vice President Al Gore to provide a complete view of the Earth’s sunlit hemisphere.
DSCOVR Solves – Solar Storms
DSCOVR key to warn and prevent detrimental solar events
Brinton 11
[Turner Brinton, July 12, 2011, space news staff writer, American institute of physics, http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110718-house-panel-denies-funding-for-dscovr-cosmic-2-missions.html]JB
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on July 13 approved a 2012 spending bill that would deny funding for a pair of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite programs, one to provide advance warning of solar storms, the other a collaborative project with Taiwan. The House version of the 2012 commerce, justice, science and related agencies appropriations bill also would trim $50 million from NOAA’s $617.4 million request to develop a new generation of geostationary orbiting weather satellites, according to the report accompanying the bill. It appears the savings would be applied to help kick-start NOAA’s polar-orbiting weather satellite program, which was delayed by the protracted 2011 budget process. The 2012 budget request NOAA sent to Congress in February asked for $47.3 million for the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) and $11.3 million for the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2). The House bill would not provide funding for either project. DSCOVR would utilize hardware left over from a planned NASA Earth observation mission dubbed Triana that was canceled several years ago; space weather forecasters say the satellite is sorely needed to replace an important sun-watching spacecraft that has far exceeded its design life. COSMIC-2 is a multisatellite radio occultation experiment being conducted jointly with Taiwan. “While the Committee supports NOAA’s efforts to establish a radio occultation satellite constellation in partnership with Taiwan, the recommendation does not include any funding for the COSMIC-2 program given funding constraints and the need to fund other higher priority NOAA satellite programs,” the report that accompanied the House bill said. The higher-priority satellite program is the Joint Polar Satellite System created last year after the White House dismantled a joint military-civilian weather satellite program. NOAA had sought $1 billion for the program in 2011 but Congress provided less than half of that amount. The House bill would provide $901.3 million for the Joint Polar Satellite System in 2012, which is $429.4 million more than appropriated for the program in 2011 but $168.6 million less than the request. The 2012 funding bill would provide $567.4 million for NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series, $94.9 million less than provided for this year. It would also provide $20 million for the Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite that is being co-developed with Eumetsat, Europe’s meteorological satellite organization. In its 2011 budget request, NOAA sought $9.5 million to ready the long-shelved DSCOVR spacecraft for launch and $3.7 million to initiate development of COSMIC-2. Congress was unable to pass any of the 12 traditional federal spending bills for 2011 and instead passed an all-in-one spending bill that held most federal spending to 2010 levels. Funding was generally not provided for so-called new start programs such as DSCOVR and COSMIC-2. DSCOVR was originally outfitted with two climate sensors — a camera and a reflected solar radiance sensor — that would continuously monitor the Earth from the first Lagrange point some 1.6 million kilometers from Earth. The spacecraft was almost ready for launch in 2001 when the mission was abruptly canceled and put into storage at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NOAA in 2008 funded a study to determine whether the spacecraft could take over for NASA’s aging Advanced Composition Explorer, said Robert Smith, NASA’s DSCOVR project manager. The Advanced Composition Explorer since 1997 has provided advance warning of coronal mass ejections and other solar events that have the potential to harm satellites and disrupt radio frequency communications. The satellite was designed to operate for only five years. If funds to refurbish DSCOVR are provided, the plan is to launch the satellite in January 2014, Smith said in a July 7 interview. The total cost to refurbish the satellite and prepare it for launch is between $63 million and $65 million, NOAA spokesman John Leslie said in a July 7 email. The Air Force, which is keenly interested in the space weather data DSCOVR would provide, agreed to pay for the satellite’s launch vehicle. The service requested $135 million for this purpose in 2012, but a defense spending bill passed July 8 by the House Appropriations Committee did not include this funding. The Air Force planned to allow new entrants such as Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to compete for the launch, government and industry sources said. The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to weigh in on NOAA’s 2012 budget.
DSCOVR key to solve solar storms, the only thing needed is funding.
Lautenbacher 10’
[Conrad C., Vice Admiral U.S. Navy retired, is a former Under Secretary of Commerce and Administrator of the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) and currently Vice President for Science Programs at CSC Corporation, “Natural Disasters and Solar Storms: Why Space Weather Matters”, Huffington Post, January 28, 2010, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conrad-c-lautenbacher-phd/natural-disasters-and-sol_b_440128.html |SK]
In addition to events such as the Haitian earthquake and global warming, there lurks another potentially devastating challenge of a different sort to which neither the public nor policy makers have devoted sufficient attention. The culprit is "space weather." The star that lights our day and gives us life, the Sun, also generates periodic disturbances -- solar storms and flares -- that give rise to effects that rain upon the Earth. While this space weather has minimal impact on humans in the normal course of events, it can have a devastating impact on the electric power generating systems as well as the electronic and computer infrastructure that keeps modern society going. In the near future, the problem is likely to grow. Scientists predict more severe space weather and solar storms on the horizon due to the coming rise in solar activity in its eleven-year cycle -- with potentially catastrophic effects in 2011 and beyond. According to a recent report by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a single severe storm could cause $1 to $2 trillion in damages to the U.S.'s high-tech infrastructure and require four to ten years for complete recovery. Fortunately, the United States has taken measures to monitor the risk and provide timely warning to reduce the consequences. Unfortunately, public officials may jeopardize these measures unless they overcome penny-wise and pound-foolish proposed budget cuts. Few of us realize that space weather already has negatively impacted our lives. A few years ago in May 1998 solar activity knocked out for a day all cell phones in the U.S. affecting everything from credit card transactions to telemedicine. In 1989, the Hydro-Quebec power grid suffered a nine hour loss of generation leaving millions in the dark following a large geomagnetic storm that was caused by solar eruptions and space weather. For many years airlines have modified Polar routes to reduce the potentially damaging radiation effects on humans because of the increased penetration of high energy particles in these regions and because of the potential for communication blackouts. (Transpolar flights are increasing: In 2000 there were 368 and in 2008 more than 7,999.) In its 2008 evaluation of potential cascading impacts of space weather events the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the disruption of electric power could lead to disruptions in transportation, communication, banking, finance systems, government services, potable water (due to pump failure), loss of perishable foods and medicines (due to lack of refrigeration). The report points out that lengthy power outages could affect the entire U.S. and have international impacts. Efforts to predict this space weather -- and prevent such catastrophes -- currently rely on data from a single spacecraft, which is wearing out. While NASA's ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) has fuel through 2024, top scientists and military strategists have found that during space storms several key instruments have failed to report data in real time. This is like having a fire department that breaks down just when there is a fire, just when you need it the most. The DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory), replacement spacecraft for ACE, was built to monitor Earth weather and global warming, and also features equipment that can measure -- and help predict -- solar and space weather. DSCOVR was evaluated by the National Academy of Sciences and their report called this mission "strong and scientifically vital." However, due to budgetary concerns, this $100+ million DSCOVR program is at risk as a potpourri of federal environmental, space, defense, and budgetary agencies attempt to pare down federal expenditures. In Congress, efforts to fund space weather in the "Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act," which also addresses cyber security, languishes in committee. Space weather remains an under-appreciated challenge. Spacecraft along with other space and ground assets can detect the arrival of these storms; but, without an ACE replacement, there will be no warning in time to prevent potentially catastrophic damage. This is a serious life-threatening matter that demands our attention. We simply cannot afford to let DSCOVR's launch funding be eliminated.
DSCOVR would serve a mandatory function of government in monitoring solar weather to protect its civilian and military assets in space
Valero, 99
[Valero, et. al, ND (ND, Francisco P. J. Valero, Jay Herman, Patrick Minnis, William D. Collins, Robert
Sadourny, Warren Wiscombe, Dan Lubin, and Keith Ogilvie, “Triana A Deep Space Earth and Solar Observatory,” http://www-pm.larc.nasa.gov/triana/NAS.Triana.report.12.99.pdf] PHS
2.3 Solar Wind and Space Weather with Plasma-Mag The Plasma-Mag investigation will contribute to both the source and structure of the slow solar wind and the heating of the corona. The mechanisms for heating the solar corona to temperatures that are much hotter than the photosphere are not well understood. Waves in the solar wind almost certainly undergo a turbulent cascade to heat the wind at small scales, but our current descriptions of this are mostly phenomenological. More generally, the coupling between magnetic and electric fluctuations and particle distribution functions is a fundamental plasma interaction, important in a wide variety of contexts, but difficult to study directly. The improved time resolution of Triana/PlasmaMag provides an opportunity to determine the mechanism by which small-scale fluctuations dissipate in plasmas. A time resolution of less than 1s will provide information to determine how the plasma responds to the simultaneously measured magnetic fields. Triana would also provide a monitor of the solar wind in addition to any other spacecraft that may still be available at the time of its launch. This would allow the detailed study of the non-radial correlation with solar wind fluctuations. This study was begun with earlier spacecraft such as the Explorers, IMP, and ISEE, but new opportunities would now be available. For example, if WIND or a STEREO spacecraft were measuring the solar wind at a variety of positions away from L-1, this would provide correlation at multiple baselines. These measurements would help to determine the symmetry of the fluctuations in the wind that in turn determine the way in which energetic particles propagate in the heliosphere. This basic understanding is also central to determining how, for example, solar events affect the Earth and its near-space environment, and thus is important for determining the effects of solar activity on spacecraft and manned space flights. The Plasma-Mag instruments will measure the magnetic field and the velocity distribution functions of the electron, proton, and alpha components of the solar wind with higher time resolution than existing spacecraft. The three Plasma-Mag instruments (Faraday cup, magnetometer, and electron spectrometer) will obtain 3-dimensional measurements of the velocity distribution functions of protons, helium ions, and electrons, and the interplanetary magnetic field. The data can be collected with high temporal resolution because Triana is a fixed orientation spacecraft that permits the solar wind ions and electrons to strike the Faraday cup continuously. The data collected by Plasma-Mag will provide early warning of solar events that may cause damage to power generation, communications, and other satellites. Together, the Plasma-Mag suite of instruments will provide a 1-hour warning to the appropriate agencies that safeguard electrical equipment on Earth and satellites in Earth orbit. Present plans include routinely providing the data to NOAA with typically only a 5-minute data processing delay from detection of an event at the Triana spacecraft position to the time that it is delivered. Monitoring of the solar weather has become a mandatory function of government due to the growth of civilian and military satellite communications. Plasma-Mag will add to, or replace, the first generation space-weather monitors, such as WIND, IMP-8, and ACE.
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