Jacques van Oene
July 27th 05, 07:37 PM
LOCKHEED MARTIN SOLAR X-RAY IMAGER TO BE LAUNCHED ON NOAA GOES-N SPACECRAFT
PALO ALTO, CALIF., July 27, 2005
The Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) instrument, designed and built at the Lockheed
Martin [NYSE: LMT] Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) for the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., is awaiting
launch on the NOAA GOES-N spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla. SXI is one of a suite of instruments that resides on the
current generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES).
"We are extremely pleased to have our first SXI instrument ready for launch
and look forward to seeing it operating on-orbit," said Mons Morrison, SXI
program manager at the ATC. "While the other GOES instruments provide
near-constant viewing of the Earth, SXI is designed to view the Sun and
provide vital information regarding solar activity."
The SXI, one of a suite of instruments on the GOES-N satellite, will be used
to aid National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Air
Force personnel in issuing forecasts and alerts of "space weather"
conditions, and in developing a better understanding of Sun-related
phenomena that affect the Earth's environment. Turbulent "space weather" can
affect radio communication on Earth, induce currents in electric power grids
and long distance pipelines, cause navigational errors in magnetic guidance
systems, upset satellite circuitry and expose astronauts to increased
radiation.
A prototype SXI was developed, tested, and calibrated by NASA's Marshall
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in conjunction with GSFC, NOAA, and
the Air Force, and launched aboard the GOES-M satellite in July 2001. The
new SXI on GOES-N has a factor of two greater spatial resolution than the
prototype, and like some high-end home video cameras, it has active internal
jitter compensation that provides a stable picture even when the spacecraft
is moving. Additionally, more sophisticated computer control allows SXI to
react automatically to changing solar conditions.
SXI will observe solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal holes and
active regions in the X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 6 to
60 A (Angstroms). These features are the dominant sources of disturbances in
space weather that lead to, for example, geomagnetic storms. SXI will also
examine flare properties, newly emerging active regions, and X-ray bright
points on the Sun.
SXI will provide continuous, near real-time observation of the Sun's corona,
acquiring a full-disk image every minute. The images cover a 42 arc-minute
field of view with five arc-second pixels. The Sun, as viewed from Earth, is
approximately 32 arc-minutes in diameter. By recording solar images every
minute, NOAA observers will be able to detect and locate the occurrence of
solar flares. This is the name given to the explosive releases of vast
amounts of magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere. Since scientists are not
yet able to predict the occurrence, magnitude or location of solar flares,
it is necessary to continually observe the Sun to know when they are
happening.
When a flare erupts, it throws out large clouds of ionized, or electrically
charged, gas. A small fraction of the cloud is very energetic and can reach
the Earth within a few minutes to hours of the flare being observed. These
energetic particles pose a hazard to both astronauts and spacecraft.
Coronal mass ejections, which are often associated with flares, take several
days to reach the Earth. Fast, powerful ejections give rise to geomagnetic
storms, which can disrupt radio transmissions and induce large currents in
power transmission lines and oil pipelines. They have resulted in
large-scale failures of the North American power grid and greatly increased
pipeline erosion. SXI also will monitor coronal holes -- persistent sources
of high-speed solar wind. As the Sun rotates every 27 days, these sources
spray across the Earth like a lawn sprinkler and cause recurring geomagnetic
storms.
The Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory at the ATC has a long heritage of
spaceborne solar instruments including the Soft X-ray Telescope on the
Japanese Yohkoh satellite, the Michelson Doppler Imager on the ESA/NASA
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the solar telescope on NASA's
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer. The laboratory also conducts basic
research into understanding and predicting Space Weather and the behavior of
our Sun including its impacts on Earth and climate.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed
Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures, and operates a
variety of advanced technology systems for military, civil and commercial
customers. Chief products include a full-range of space launch systems,
including heavy-lift capability, ground systems, remote sensing and
communications satellites for commercial and government customers, advanced
space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles
and missile defense systems.
Contact:
Buddy Nelson, (510) 797-0349; e-mail, ,
pager: 1-888-916-1797
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
PALO ALTO, CALIF., July 27, 2005
The Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) instrument, designed and built at the Lockheed
Martin [NYSE: LMT] Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) for the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., is awaiting
launch on the NOAA GOES-N spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla. SXI is one of a suite of instruments that resides on the
current generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES).
"We are extremely pleased to have our first SXI instrument ready for launch
and look forward to seeing it operating on-orbit," said Mons Morrison, SXI
program manager at the ATC. "While the other GOES instruments provide
near-constant viewing of the Earth, SXI is designed to view the Sun and
provide vital information regarding solar activity."
The SXI, one of a suite of instruments on the GOES-N satellite, will be used
to aid National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Air
Force personnel in issuing forecasts and alerts of "space weather"
conditions, and in developing a better understanding of Sun-related
phenomena that affect the Earth's environment. Turbulent "space weather" can
affect radio communication on Earth, induce currents in electric power grids
and long distance pipelines, cause navigational errors in magnetic guidance
systems, upset satellite circuitry and expose astronauts to increased
radiation.
A prototype SXI was developed, tested, and calibrated by NASA's Marshall
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in conjunction with GSFC, NOAA, and
the Air Force, and launched aboard the GOES-M satellite in July 2001. The
new SXI on GOES-N has a factor of two greater spatial resolution than the
prototype, and like some high-end home video cameras, it has active internal
jitter compensation that provides a stable picture even when the spacecraft
is moving. Additionally, more sophisticated computer control allows SXI to
react automatically to changing solar conditions.
SXI will observe solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal holes and
active regions in the X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 6 to
60 A (Angstroms). These features are the dominant sources of disturbances in
space weather that lead to, for example, geomagnetic storms. SXI will also
examine flare properties, newly emerging active regions, and X-ray bright
points on the Sun.
SXI will provide continuous, near real-time observation of the Sun's corona,
acquiring a full-disk image every minute. The images cover a 42 arc-minute
field of view with five arc-second pixels. The Sun, as viewed from Earth, is
approximately 32 arc-minutes in diameter. By recording solar images every
minute, NOAA observers will be able to detect and locate the occurrence of
solar flares. This is the name given to the explosive releases of vast
amounts of magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere. Since scientists are not
yet able to predict the occurrence, magnitude or location of solar flares,
it is necessary to continually observe the Sun to know when they are
happening.
When a flare erupts, it throws out large clouds of ionized, or electrically
charged, gas. A small fraction of the cloud is very energetic and can reach
the Earth within a few minutes to hours of the flare being observed. These
energetic particles pose a hazard to both astronauts and spacecraft.
Coronal mass ejections, which are often associated with flares, take several
days to reach the Earth. Fast, powerful ejections give rise to geomagnetic
storms, which can disrupt radio transmissions and induce large currents in
power transmission lines and oil pipelines. They have resulted in
large-scale failures of the North American power grid and greatly increased
pipeline erosion. SXI also will monitor coronal holes -- persistent sources
of high-speed solar wind. As the Sun rotates every 27 days, these sources
spray across the Earth like a lawn sprinkler and cause recurring geomagnetic
storms.
The Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory at the ATC has a long heritage of
spaceborne solar instruments including the Soft X-ray Telescope on the
Japanese Yohkoh satellite, the Michelson Doppler Imager on the ESA/NASA
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the solar telescope on NASA's
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer. The laboratory also conducts basic
research into understanding and predicting Space Weather and the behavior of
our Sun including its impacts on Earth and climate.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed
Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures, and operates a
variety of advanced technology systems for military, civil and commercial
customers. Chief products include a full-range of space launch systems,
including heavy-lift capability, ground systems, remote sensing and
communications satellites for commercial and government customers, advanced
space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles
and missile defense systems.
Contact:
Buddy Nelson, (510) 797-0349; e-mail, ,
pager: 1-888-916-1797
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info