The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), with help from The Boeing Company and Iridium Communications Inc., has successfully implemented a new space-based system to monitor Earth’s space environment. Known as the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE), the system provides real-time magnetic field measurements using commercial satellites as part of a new observation network to forecast weather in space. This is the first step in developing a system that enables 24-hour tracking of Earth's response to supersonic blasts of plasma ejected from the sun at collection rates fast enough to one day enable forecasters to predict space weather effects.
The AMPERE program is funded by a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The laboratory, working with Boeing, partnered with Iridium to introduce this new capability by using Iridium's commercial satellite constellation. AMPERE uses Iridium's network of 66 low-Earth orbiting (LEO) communication satellites, the only system capable of providing a fully global view.
Boeing presently handles data collection, processing and packaging from the Iridium satellite fleet for AMPERE and transfers the magnetic field samples to the Science Data Center at APL (in Laurel, Md.), where the data are processed to yield globally integrated views of Earth’s space environment. Leveraging more than nine years of operations and maintenance support to the Iridium satellite fleet, Boeing was able to create a new data pathway for transferring magnetic field samples from the satellites to the ground station – providing the data in real-time and up to 100 times more frequently than before. Based on this innovation, AMPERE provides data every two to 20 seconds from each Iridium satellite and the data are available within minutes for analysis. Previously, data were only sampled once every three minutes and were available for analysis only the following day.
For 36 hours on Feb 14-15, 2010, AMPERE measured electric currents during a small magnetic storm. The currents flow at heights of about 60 to 70 miles, but they can affect power grids and major storms have caused widespread blackouts. Using AMPERE, scientists will soon be able to produce views like this nearly in real-time - finally allowing us to see space weather as it happens.
This view is from above the North Pole and slightly behind the Earth, with the Sun toward the top of the screen. Gray and blue colors represent weak currents while greens, yellows and reds show progressively stronger currents. This image shows the weaker currents at the start of the storm.
This view is from above the North Pole and slightly behind the Earth, with the Sun toward the top of the screen. Gray and blue colors represent weak currents while greens, yellows and reds show progressively stronger currents. This image shows the currents getting stronger as the storm nears its peak, appearing in a pair of arcs that seem to form a circle around the North Pole.
This view is from above the North Pole and slightly behind the Earth, with the Sun toward the top of the screen. Gray and blue colors represent weak currents while greens, yellows and reds show progressively stronger currents. This image shows the strong currents at the peak of the storm, intensifying as they move from the pole toward North America and Asia.