Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
october 2014
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space
UK opens space weather forecasting center
October 9, 2014
The United Kingdom (UK) opened its first space weather forecasting center, the Met Office Space Weather Operations Center, on October 9 in Exeter, England. The center will work in conjunction with its U.S. counterpart, the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), to improve global predictions of space weather impacts.
Space weather refers to magnetic fields, radiation, particles, and matter which have been ejected from the Sun that interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and surrounding magnetic field. This interaction can lead to interruptions in satellite communications and global positioning systems (GPS), disruption of power grids, and damage to spacecraft. Cooperation between the two centers will allow scientists to gather more data and improve predictions for when space weather may cause disruptions and how to mitigate those issues.
Sources: Met Office, National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Center, Nature
President Obama announces nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator
October 16, 2014
On October 16, President Obama nominated MIT professor Dava Newman as Deputy Administrator of NASA. Previous Deputy Administrator Lori Garver resigned in September 2013 to manage the Air Line Pilots Association.
Dr. Newman is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT, where she earned her doctorate in aerospace biomedical engineering. Her research focuses on human activity in low-gravity environments, and her team is in the process of designing a revolutionary, lightweight, form-fitting spacesuit that uses mechanical counterpressure to allow for greater mobility.
Dr. Newman brings diverse experience in both science and policy to her role at NASA. She has acted as Director for the MIT Technology and Policy Program since 2003, and she serves on the technical panel of the National Academies’ Committee on Human Spaceflight. She also contributed to a 2008 report from the Space, Policy, and Society Research Group at MIT that focuses on the future of human spaceflight.
Sources: NASA, MIT, Space News
Updated 11/4/14