Canadian Space Agency awards contracts for solar-terrestrial science
Longueuil, Quebec, September 5, 2008 – The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced today $6.5 million in con ntracts to support academic research focused on expanding understanding of space weather, the impact of our Sun's activity on the Earth's environment.
As part of the ongoing Canadian GeoSpace Monitoring (CGSM) Program, ten newly launched resear ch projects will collect and process information that will allow scientists to investigate the mysteries behind the complex interactions between the highly energised particles that flow from the Sun (known as the "solar wind") and the Earth's protective s hield, the magnetosphere. Observing how the Sun and Earth interact will help refine the forecasts of highly charged space weather, which may adversely affect satellite-based communications, GPS navigation, electric power grids, and the health of humans li ving and working in space.
These new projects will build on existing space physics monitoring programs and infrastructure to create a broad national space weather research network of ground-based instruments. These instruments will observe our planet and the area known as the "geospace" above Canada, where the effects of severe space weather are the most damaging. By using a comprehensive suite of state-of the-art instruments, such as radars, magnetometers, GPS receivers, photometers, and all- sky imagers, the Canadian science team will collect and analyze staggering amounts of data about events happening far above the atmosphere with unprecedented resolution over both geographical space and time.
A large and diversified science team will collect and analyze this data. The science team includes more than 80 scientists led by principal investigators from the universities of Alberta, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Waterloo and New Brunswick. In addition to the Canadian Space Agency, Natural Re sources Canada and the National Research Council of Canada are also partners in this program.
About the Canadian Space Agency
Established in 1989, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) coordinates all civil, space-related policies and programs on behalf of the Government of Canada. CSA directs its resources and activities through four key thrusts: Earth Observation, Space Science and Exploration, Satellite Communications, and Space Awareness and Learning. By leveraging nat ional and international cooperation, the CSA generates world-class scientific research and industrial development for the benefit of humanity.
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