AGU Chapman Conference on Dynamics of the Earth's Radiation Belts and Inner Magnetosphere

Date: July 17-22, 2011
Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland
Web Site: http://www.agu.org/meetings/chapman/2011/ecall/
About: Despite some 50 years of space research, fundamental questions remain concerning the physics of Earth’s radiation belts and inner magnetosphere. Our ability to protect spacecraft systems from the hazardous space environment depends on our knowledge of geospace. In the last decade there has been a resurgence in radiation belt research in parallel with the development of the new discipline of space weather science. As a culmination of these efforts, in 2012 there will be the launch of the NASA Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) and Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Loss (BARREL) missions which are designed to enhance our understanding of the dynamical behavior of Earth’s radiation belts. Subsequent to 2012 are planned launches of the Canadian Outer Radiation Belt Injection, Transport, Acceleration, and Loss Satellite (ORBITALS) and the Japanese Energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) satellite which will complement RBSP by making further in situ measurements of Earth’s radiation belt zone. The conference will address the following questions:
1. What is our current state of knowledge of Earth’s radiation belts from particle, wave and magnetic field observations? What further data are essential?
2. What is the state of preparedness of the RBSP, BARREL, ORBITALS and ERG missions? What do these missions expect to accomplish?
3. How good is our modeling, simulation and theory of the radiation belts? Do we understand the particle transport, acceleration and loss processes?
4. How does radiation belt behavior link to or couple with the ring current, plasmasphere and ionosphere? What are the key energy coupling processes that connect these components of the inner magnetosphere?
5. What are the current key space weather issues related to the radiation belts and inner magnetosphere? How can we better protect satellites from the space environment?
6. How do the physical processes that control Earth’s radiation belts compare and contrast with the processes that operate in other radiation belts? How do the particle acceleration mechanisms that generate Earth’s radiation belts relate to other cosmic phenomena?

About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and CEO and co-founder of SpaceRef Interactive LLC. Boucher has 20+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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