Several years ago scientists were surprised when the data from their Gamma-ray burst detectors were seeing Gamma-ray flashes that originated from terrestrial thunderstorms. Recent data indicates that these Gamma-ray flashes may come from a new mechanism, rather than conventional lightning flashes. Science@NASA produced a video to explain the new theory.
Mark Karney
Site Updates and Fixes
I found that the email link to info@naturalradiolab.com was not forwarding properly. It looks like it was broken in one of the past updates. It now works properly. My apologies to all those who tried to email me and thought I was ignoring them.
I’ve added a “SATELLITES” section to the “RESOURCES” menu that list the satellites that provide information of interest to Natural Radio listeners and Space Weather enthusiasts. Basic information on the satellite and it’s instrumentation are provided as well as a synopsis of available data. Links are provided to the appropriate websites for the satellite, that can provide data and more complete information.
Finally, I have uploaded the remainder of my 2012 articles from “The Lowdown”.
NASA Renames RBSP Mission to Van Allen Probes
NASA has renamed the recently launched Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission as the Van Allen Probes in honor of the late Dr. James Van Allen. Van Allen was the head of the physics department at the University of Iowa who discovered the radiation belts encircling Earth in 1958. This was announced Friday during a ceremony at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. at a ceremony that also highlighted the spacecraft’s commissioning activities.
“James Van Allen was a true pioneer in astrophysics,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “His ground breaking research paved the way for current and future space exploration. These spacecraft now not only honor his iconic name but his mark on science.”
Van Allen helped develop the initial plans for an International Geophysical Year that took place in 1957. He was the principal investigator for the first successful American satellite, Explorer I, and continuing with Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, went on to be principal investigator on 24 Earth Satellite and planetary missions.
The Van Allen probes were launched on Aug. 30, 2012, and comprise the first dual-spacecraft mission specifically created to investigate the Van Allen belts that surround Earth. These two belts, encircle the planet and are filled with highly charged particles. The belts can sometimes swell dramatically, due to solar storms and coronal mass ejections. When this happens, they can disrupt communications, GPS satellites and pose a danger to human spaceflight activities.
For more information about NASA’s Van Allen Probes mission, visit: