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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Disturbances Due to Geomagnetic Storms at ISS Altitudes

Spacecraft charging of the International Space Station (ISS) is dominated by interaction of the US high voltage solar arrays with the F2-region ionosphere plasma environment. ISS solar array charging is enhanced in a high electron density environment due to the increased thermal electron currents to the edges of the solar cells. High electron temperature environments suppress charging due to formation of barrier potentials on the charged solar cell cover glass that restrict the charging currents to the cell edge [Mandell et al., 2003]. Environments responsible for strong solar array charging are therefore characterized by high electron densities and low electron temperatures. In support of the ISS space environmental effects engineering community, we are working to understand a number of features of solar array charging and to determine how well future charging behavior can be predicted from in-situ plasma density and temperature measurements. One aspect of this work is a need to characterize the magnitude of electron density and temperature variations that occur at ISS orbital altitudes (approximately 400 km) over time scales of days, the latitudes over which significant variations occur, and the time periods over which the disturbances persist once they start. This presentation provides examples of mid-latitude electron density and temperature disturbances at altitudes relevant to ISS using data sets and tools developed for our ISS plasma environment study. "Mid-latitude" is defined as the extra-tropical region between approx. 30 degrees to approx. 60 degrees magnetic latitude sampled by ISS over its 51.6 degree inclination orbit. We focus on geomagnetic storm periods because storms are well known drivers for disturbances in the ionospheric plasma environment.

Minow, Joseph I.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Disturbances Due to Geomagnetic Storms at ISS Altitudes

Spacecraft charging of the International Space Station (ISS) is dominated by the interaction of the high voltage US solar arrays with the F2-region ionospheric plasma environment. We are working to fully understand the charging behavior of the ISS solar arrays and determine how well future charging behavior can be predicted from in-situ measurements of plasma density and temperature. One aspect of this work is a need to characterize the magnitude of electron density and temperature variations that may be encountered at ISS orbital altitudes (approximately 400 km), the latitudes over which they occur, and the time periods for which the disturbances persist. We will present preliminary results from a study of ionospheric disturbances in the "mid-latitude" region defined as the approximately 30 - 60 degree extra-equatorial magnetic latitudes sampled by ISS. The study is focused on geomagnetic storm periods because they are well known drivers for disturbances in the high-latitude and mid-latitude ionospheric plasma. Changes in the F2 peak electron density obtained from ground based ionosonde records are compared to in-situ electron density and temperature measurements from the CHAMP and ISS spacecraft at altitudes near, or above, the F2 peak. Results from a number of geomagnetic storms will be presented and their potential impact on ISS charging will be discussed.

Minow, Joseph I.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The High Latitude Ionospheric Response to the Major May 2024 Geomagnetic Storm: A Synoptic View

Abstract The high latitude ionospheric evolution of the May 10‐11, 2024, geomagnetic storm is investigated in terms of Total Electron Content and contextualized with Incoherent Scatter Radar and ionosonde observations. Substantial plasma lifting is observed within the initial Storm Enhanced Density plume with ionospheric peak heights increasing by 150–300 km, reaching levels of up to 630 km. Scintillation is observed within the cusp during the initial expansion phase of the storm, spreading across the auroral oval thereafter. Patch transport into the polar cap produces broad regions of scintillation that are rapidly cleared from the region after a strong Interplanetary Magnetic Field reversal at 2230UT. Strong heating and composition changes result in the complete absence of the F2‐layer on the eleventh, suffocating high latitude convection from dense plasma necessary for Tongue of Ionization and patch formation, ultimately resulting in a suppression of polar cap scintillation on the eleventh.

Themens, David R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Uplift of Ionospheric Oxygen Ions During Extreme Magnetic Storms

Research reported earlier in literature was conducted relating to estimation of the ionospheric electrical field, which may have occurred during the September 1859 Carrington geomagnetic storm event, with regard to modern-day consequences. In this research, the NRL SAMI2 ionospheric code has been modified and applied the estimated electric field to the dayside ionosphere. The modeling was done at 15-minute time increments to track the general ionospheric changes. Although it has been known that magnetospheric electric fields get down into the ionosphere, it has been only in the last ten years that scientists have discovered that intense magnetic storm electric fields do also. On the dayside, these dawn-to-dusk directed electric fields lift the plasma (electrons and ions) up to higher altitudes and latitudes. As plasma is removed from lower altitudes, solar UV creates new plasma, so the total plasma in the ionosphere is increased several-fold. Thus, this complex process creates super-dense plasmas at high altitudes (from 700 to 1,000 km and higher).

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Interpretation of satellite airglow observations during the March 22, 1979, magnetic storm, using the coupled ionosphere-thermosphere model developed at University College, London

The University of California, Berkeley, extreme ultraviolet spectrometer aboard the U.S. Air Force STP 78-1 satellite measured emission features in the Earth's dayglow due to neutral and ionized species in the atmosphere, in the 35 to 140-nm range. The spectrometer was operating between March 1979 and March 1980, including the period of the magnetic storm on March 22, 1979. Some of these measurements are interpreted using the predictions of the three-dimensional time-dependent coupled ionosphere-thermosphere model developed at University College, London. The observations show a reduction in the atomic oxygen 130.4-nm airglow emission at high northern latitudes following the storm. Model simulations show that this reduction in 130.4-nm emission is associated with an increase in the O2/O ratio. Analysis of model results using electron transport and radiative transport codes show that the brightness of 130.4-nm emission at high latitudes due to resonantly scattered sunlight is approximately twice that due to photoelectron impact excitation. However, the observed decrease in the brightness at high northern latitudes is mainly due to a change in the photoelectron impact source, which contributes approximately 75% of the total, as well as its multiple scattering component; for the photoelectron impact source at 70 deg latitude and 200 km altitude, the reduction in multiple scattering is 1.5 times greater than the reduction in the initial excitation. The reduction in the airglow emission is visible only in the norther n hemisphere because the south pole was not sunlit over the storm period. The comparison of model results with observations suggests that 130.4-nm emission may be useful as a tracer for global changes in the concentration of atomic energy.

Parish, H. F.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Development of a Geomagnetic Storm Correction to the International Reference Ionosphere E-Region Electron Densities Using TIMED/SABER Observations

Auroral infrared emission observed from the TIMED/SABER broadband 4.3 micron channel is used to develop an empirical geomagnetic storm correction to the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) E-region electron densities. The observation-based proxy used to develop the storm model is SABER-derived NO+(v) 4.3 micron volume emission rates (VER). A correction factor is defined as the ratio of storm-time NO+(v) 4.3 micron VER to a quiet-time climatological averaged NO+(v) 4.3 micron VER, which is linearly fit to available geomagnetic activity indices. The initial version of the E-region storm model, called STORM-E, is most applicable within the auroral oval region. The STORM-E predictions of E-region electron densities are compared to incoherent scatter radar electron density measurements during the Halloween 2003 storm events. Future STORM-E updates will extend the model outside the auroral oval.

Mertens, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Ionospheric magnetic phenomena associated with proton flares

The state of the ionosphere above stations in Kazakhstan is examined in connection with the proton flares of 7 July, 28 August, and 2 September 1966. Universal time is used. It is established that a proton flare causes increased radio absorption (the ionization of the D-region is enhanced, and the minimum reflected frequencies decrease). Magnetic storms and ionospheric disturbances are observed on the earth one-and-a-half to two days after some proton flares.

Rudina, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Modeling the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Response to a Geomagnetic Storm Using Physics-based Magnetospheric Energy Input: OpenGGCM-CTIM Results

The magnetosphere is a major source of energy for the Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere (IT) system. Current IT models drive the upper atmosphere using empirically calculated magnetospheric energy input. Thus, they do not sufficiently capture the storm-time dynamics, particularly at high latitudes. To improve the prediction capability of IT models, a physics-based magnetospheric input is necessary. Here, we use the Open Global General Circulation Model (OpenGGCM) coupled with the Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Model (CTIM). OpenGGCM calculates a three-dimensional global magnetosphere and a two-dimensional high-latitude ionosphere by solving resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations with solar wind input. CTIM calculates a global thermosphere and a high-latitude ionosphere in three dimensions using realistic magnetospheric inputs from the OpenGGCM. We investigate whether the coupled model improves the storm-time IT responses by simulating a geomagnetic storm that is preceded by a strong solar wind pressure front on August 24, 2005. We compare the OpenGGCM-CTIM results with low-earth-orbit satellite observations and with the model results of Coupled Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Plasmasphere electrodynamics (CTIPe). CTIPe is an up-to-date version of CTIM that incorporates more IT dynamics such as a low-latitude ionosphere and a plasmasphere, but uses empirical magnetospheric input. OpenGGCMCTIM reproduces localized neutral density peaks at approx. 400 km altitude in the high-latitude dayside regions in agreement with in situ observations during the pressure shock and the early phase of the storm. Although CTIPe is in some sense a much superior model than CTIM, it misses these localized enhancements. Unlike the CTIPe empirical input models, OpenGGCM-CTIM more faithfully produces localized increases of both auroral precipitation and ionospheric electric fields near the high-latitude dayside region after the pressure shock and after the storm onset, which in turn effectively heats the thermosphere and causes the neutral density increase at 400 km altitude.

Connor, Hyunju K.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Observations of neutral composition and related ionospheric variations during a magnetic storm in February 1974

The neutral-atmosphere composition experiment on Atmosphere Explorer C measured N2, O, Ar, and He densities during a magnetic storm at altitudes down to about 160 km. At latitudes above 45 deg N, N2 and Ar densities generally increase during the storm, while He and O densities decrease. Below 45 deg N all densities tend to increase during the storm. The density increases at perigee indicate that density- or temperature-profile changes are taking place below 160 km. The return to prestorm conditions is very slow, demonstrating the integrating effect of the atmospheric response. A recent theoretical model incorporating thermospheric circulation and diffusion effects reproduces the longitudinally averaged data, including latitude trends and the asymmetry about the storm maximum. Comparison with the mass-spectrometer and incoherent-scatter empirical model shows qualitative agreement with latitude trends but not with storm asymmetry, while the earlier J71 model based on total mass density is not in agreement with observed latitudinal trends. A close correlation is found between in situ O/N2 measurements and in situ and ground-based ionosonde measurements of electron density.

Hedin, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Detection of severe storms through a tropospheric-ionospheric coupling mechanism

Acoustic-gravity waves were detected by a ground-based ionospheric sounding array, and the location of the wave generation source was determined by a reverse group ray path computation. Computed sources of these waves were located near locations where tornadoes touched down from 2 to 4 hours later. It is suggested that the overshooting and ensuing collapse of convective turrets may be responsible for generating the acoustic-gravity waves observed.

Hung, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling Ionospheric Convection During a Major Geomagnetic Storm on October 22-23, 1981

Following the passage of an interplanetary shock at approximately 0500 UT, a major geomagnetic storm developed on October 22-23, 1981. Numerous auroral substorms occurred during this storm leading to an AE index greater than 1000 nT. We have used the expanding/contracting polar cap (ECPC) model (Moses et al., 1989) and data from the Dynamics Explorer 2 spacecraft to study the ionospheric electric fields for 12 consecutive traversals of the polar regions. The ECPC model can determine the voltage drops across the dayside merging and nightside reconnection gaps. We determined the relationship of the AL index (i.e., the intensity of the westward electrojet) to the nightside reconnection potential drop. An excellent linear correlation was found between the nightside reconnection gap voltage drop and the AL index. These results show that the solar wind strongly drives the magnetosphere-ionosphere system throughout the geomagnetic storm. A substantial level of dayside merging seems to occur throughout the event. Nightside reconnection varies from satellite pass to satellite pass and within the substorm recovery phase. We find that tail reconnection is an important feature of the recovery phase of substorms.

Moses, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Relationships between SC- and SI-associated ULF waves and ionospheric HF Doppler oscillations during the great geomagnetic storm of February 1986

The SC- and SI-associated ionospheric Doppler velocity oscillations and geomagnetic pulsations during the great geomagnetic storm of February 1986 are interpreted. This is done by considering the 'dynamo-motor' mechanism of ionospheric E-field and the global compressional oscillations of the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, respectively.

Yumoto, K.↗