New Satellites Will Tighten Knowledge of Earth’s Radiation Belts

Surrounding our planet like vast invisible donuts (the ones with the hole, not the jelly-filled kind) are the Van Allen radiation belts, regions where various charged subatomic particles get trapped by Earth’s magnetic fields, forming rings of plasma. We know that the particles that make up this plasma can have nasty effects on spacecraft electronics as well as human physiology, but there’s a lot that isn’t known about the belts. Two new satellites, scheduled to launch on August 23, will help change that. (...)Read the rest of New Satellites Will Tighten Knowledge of Earth’s Radiation Belts (313 words)© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: belts, Earth, GSFC, Launch, magnetosphere, plasma, radiation, RBSP, Satellites, ULA, Van Allen Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh