National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Living With a Star

Program Home Page: http://lws.gsfc.nasa.gov/

We live in the extended atmosphere of an active star. While sunlight enables and sustains life, the Sun's variability produces streams of high-energy particles and radiation that can affect life.

Under the protective shield of its the magnetic field and atmosphere, the Earth is an island in the solar system where life has developed and flourished. The origins and fate of life on Earth are intimately connected to the way the Earth responds to the Sun's variations. Understanding the changing Sun and its effects on the Solar System, life, and society is the goal of the Sun-Earth Connection Theme.

There are two groups of mission spacecraft in the LWS Space Weather Research Network:

(a) Solar dynamics elements (Solar Dynamics Observatory/Sentinels) that observe the Sun, track the disturbances originating there through the heliosphere, and

(b) Geospace dynamics elements (Geospace Missions Network) consisting of spacecraft located in the magnetosphere and ionosphere to define the Geospace response to varying solar and solar wind input.

LWS OBJECTIVES

Living With a Star is a cross-cutting program whose goals and objectives have the following links to each of the four NASA Strategic Enterprises:

1. Space Science: LWS quantifies the physics, dynamics, and behavior of the Sun-Earth system over the 11-year solar cycle.

2. Earth Science: LWS improves understanding of the effects of solar variability and disturbances on terrestrial climate change.

3. Human Exploration and Development: LWS provides data and scientific understanding required for advanced warning of energetic particle events that affect the safety of humans.

4. Aeronautics and Space Transportation: LWS provides detailed characterization of radiation environments useful in the design of more reliable electronic components for air and space transportation systems.