Living With a Star (LWS) is a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
scientific program to study those aspects of the connected
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
-
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
system that directly affect life and society. LWS is a crosscutting initiative with goals and objectives relevant to NASA's Exploration Initiative, as well as to NASA's Strategic Enterprises. The program is managed by the
Heliophysics Science Division
The ''Heliophysics Science Division'' of the Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) conducts research on the Sun, its extended Solar System environment (the heliosphere), and interactions of Earth, other planets, small bodies, and interstellar gas wit ...
of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
LWS is composed of three major components: scientific investigations on spaceflight platforms study different regions of the Sun,
interplanetary space
Interplanetary may refer to:
* Interplanetary space, the space between the planets of the Solar System
*Interplanetary spaceflight, travel between planets
*The interplanetary medium, the material that exists in interplanetary space
*The InterPlane ...
, and
geospace
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
; an applied science
Space Environment Testbeds program where protocols and components are tested; and a Targeted Research and Technology Program. Major spacecraft include the ''
Van Allen Probes
The Van Allen Probes, formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), were two robotic spacecraft that were used to study the Van Allen radiation belts that surround Earth. NASA conducted the Van Allen Probes mission as part of the Li ...
'', ''
Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010. Launched on 11 February 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program.
The goal of the LWS program is to develop the ...
'', and the ''
Parker Solar Probe
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It will approach to within 9.86 solar radii ...
''.
History
Living With a Star was proposed in 2000 and established with funding in the fall of 2001. An international collaboration was additionally sought, known as the International Living With a Star program, conducted through the Interagency Consultative Group (IACG). After the dedicated IACG "Task Group" concluded meetings with its recommendation, ILWS was formed in 2002.
LWS also maintains the Targeted Research & Technology program.
Areas of study for LWS include:
*The
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
*
Space weather
Space weather is a branch of space physics and aeronomy, or heliophysics, concerned with the time varying conditions within the Solar System, including the solar wind, emphasizing the space surrounding the Earth, including conditions in the ...
*
Explorers Program
The Explorers program is a NASA exploration program that provides flight opportunities for physics, geophysics, heliophysics, and astrophysics investigations from space. Launched in 1958, Explorer 1 was the first spacecraft of the United Stat ...
*
Magnetosphere
*
Heliosphere
The heliosphere is the magnetosphere, astrosphere and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun. It takes the shape of a vast, bubble-like region of space. In plasma physics terms, it is the cavity formed by the Sun in the surrounding interstell ...
*Living with a Star
*
Solar eclipses
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mont ...
Objectives
The program is focused on understanding the relationship between the Sun and the Earth across several disciplines and areas of study:
*
Space Science
*
Earth Science
*Human Exploration and Development
*Aeronautics and Space Transportation
Missions
There are currently three active spacecraft dedicated to this program: the ''
Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010. Launched on 11 February 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program.
The goal of the LWS program is to develop the ...
'' launched in 2010, ''
Parker Solar Probe
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It will approach to within 9.86 solar radii ...
'' in 2018, and the ''
Solar Orbiter
The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). SolO, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and the nascent solar wind, will also perform close observations of th ...
'' collaboration with the
European Space Agency launched in 2020. The twin ''
Van Allen Probes
The Van Allen Probes, formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), were two robotic spacecraft that were used to study the Van Allen radiation belts that surround Earth. NASA conducted the Van Allen Probes mission as part of the Li ...
'' spacecraft were deactivated in 2019 after more than seven years of operation. In December 2012 through January 2013 and December 2013 through January 2014, the ''
Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL)'' mission was also conducted under this program.
Science requirements and conceptual mission implementation have been defined for the
Geospace Dynamics Coupling (GDC) spacecraft constellation, the formerly proposed
Solar Sentinels, as well as other future missions under development or consideration.
Space Environment Testbeds
SET uses existing data and new data from low-cost missions to achieve the following:
Define the mechanisms for induced space environment and effects;
reduce uncertainties in the definitions of the induced environment and effects on spacecraft and their payloads; and to
improve design and operations guidelines and test protocols so that spacecraft anomalies and failures due to environmental effects during operations are reduced.
The goal of this mission is to understand the nature of the environment of space and how that environment impacts spacecraft.
Targeted Research and Technology
With the 2001 inception of the LWS Program, new opportunities were created for a systematic, goal-oriented research program targeting those aspects of the Sun-Earth system that affect life and society. To provide immediate progress toward achieving the LWS goals, the Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) component of the program was developed.
[ The TR&T element has solicited five rounds of proposals seeking quantitative understanding and predictive capability throughout the system. TR&T has funded independent research awards, focused science topic panels, and strategic capability challenges to enable a cross-disciplinary, integrated, system-wide understanding of how the Sun varies, and how Earth and planets respond. The focused science topic panels are a novel approach to collaborative science, and initial results appear promising.
]
Missions
The following missions are associated with the Living With a Star program, with launch dates indicated.
* February 2010 – ''Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010. Launched on 11 February 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program.
The goal of the LWS program is to develop the ...
'' (SDO)
* August 2012 – ''Van Allen Probes
The Van Allen Probes, formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), were two robotic spacecraft that were used to study the Van Allen radiation belts that surround Earth. NASA conducted the Van Allen Probes mission as part of the Li ...
''
* December 2012/January 2013 and December 2013/January 2014 – '' Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses'' (BARREL)
* August 2018 – ''Parker Solar Probe
The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It will approach to within 9.86 solar radii ...
''
* June 2019 – '' Space Environment Testbeds'' (SET)
* February 2020 – ''Solar Orbiter
The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). SolO, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and the nascent solar wind, will also perform close observations of th ...
'' (SolO)
See also
*List of heliophysics missions
This is a list of missions supporting heliophysics, including solar observatory missions, solar orbiters, and spacecraft studying the solar wind.
*List of NASA missions
This is a list of NASA missions, both crewed and robotic, since the establishment of NASA in 1958. There are over 80 currently active science missions.
X-Plane program
Since 1945, NACA (NASA's predecessor) and, since 1958, NASA have conduct ...
References
External links
Living With a Star website
at NASA.gov
{{Use American English, date=January 2014
NASA programs