SPARC: Ask a Space Physicist -- Forum

While a SPARC campaign is underway, this page will be monitored during daylight hours by one of the space physicists involved in the SPARC collaboratory. It is a forum for your questions and comments about the nature of SPARC or the research taking place.

Submit your question, and the space physicist on call will try to answer it quickly. Our goal for this page is to have a dialogue with SPARC visitors that develops in near-real time when a campaign is underway. The next campaign runs from 8:00 AM EDT, October 19, to 8:00 A.M. EDT, October 21, 1998.

During non-campaign periods, this forum will be static.

This page should reload itself every 60 seconds to check for new entries or replies.

Question

I am watching the campaign from Japan... everything looks terrific... I mean the SPARC Outreach Home Page... Congratulations.... Volodya

Hi volodya. The thanks for the SPARC Outreach go to Frank deSanto and his boss, Tom Finholt... --Rick

Question

I'm looking at the TING and radar data comparisons on the outreach page -- the models don't seem to be well correlated with the radar data, at least in terms of matching the color values -- what do space scientists see in these comparisons?

Hi Tom: I am glad that you can view the comparisons. One way of looking at the problem or real data vs. model forecast is our own personal experience with weather forecasts of rain/temperature/winds vs what we experience here in Ann Arbor. The weatherman doesn't always get it right. My personal view of the real-time SPARC comparisons, which we have only now been able to perform with the aid of this WLS campaign, is that the models have the shape of the altitudinal profile pretty much right. The models show a peak in the F-region, 250 to 300 km, and decreases both below and above. In terms of absolute value, the culprit might simply be the scaling that needs to be done on the real-time Ne profiles. All the ISR PI's use collocated Digisondes to fine tune their ISR measurements before they finally publish the results. We meaning UARC, have been granted a short circuit to view the 'raw' data.

Question

I notice that many of the radar displays (like the recent Tromso and Svalbard graphs) have white gaps in them -- what are these?

Hi Tom: The white spots are artifacts of the MURAL plotting (except for Sondre Stromfjord). They occur whenever the value of a data pixel falls outside of the colour coded log(Ne) value. You can ameliorate this by using 'Set Axis'. However, this exercise will truly test your skills at patience.

Question

What atmospheric qualities determine what a sunrise or sunset *looks* like? Is there any information about how a sunrise would look to someone standing on Mars, for instance?

Question

Hello, Maybe you can answer this question for me ..... As a teacher and a parent, I have observed that the behavior of children changes dramatically 2-3 days before a storm ... To what is this attributable?

Question

For your information, a geomagnetic storm began at approximately 00UT on Monday, October 19, 1998. In terms of North American time this is 8pm, Sunday evening, October 18. At the time of this writing, the Earth is about 12 hours into the storm, and it is still going strong. Rick Niciejewski

Name: Mike Ruohoniemi
Age: Over 25
Subject: Convection velocities
Date: 19 Oct 1998
Time: 11:56:04

Question

Just to let you know that the SuperDARN radars (Goose Bay especially) are seeing unusally strong (> 1 km/s) plasma drifts at fairly low dayside latitudes (65 deg). This is consistent with a large-scale energization of convection due to a storm.

How did you manage to start a storm in time for the wide latitude/SPARC study? Or does someone in Michigan or at Millstone Hill read tea leaves?

Name: Todd Gee
Age: Over 25
Subject: Current Campaign
Date: 20 Oct 1998
Time: 13:33:49

Question

I was wondering if anything interesting is happening (space physics wise) during the current campaign.

Name: Gary Gilbert
Age: Over 25
Subject: Meteor shower
Date: 22 Oct 1998
Time: 16:28:12

Question

What is the latest word on the meteor shower and how it is expected to impact the satellite communications?

Name: Rita Cooper
Age: Over 25
Subject: Research
Date: 16 Nov 1998
Time: 02:15:01

Question

If there were such a thing as reversed polarity, what changes would take place on Earth? Example - Tidal changes, climate changes, flooding, drought, sunrise and sunset times, and would the constellations and the moon appear different in the night sky to the observer? What other changes would occur, if any? And finally, is it possible for mankind to reverse the poles back to the way they are now? Could this be done using some sort of magnetic force field, utilizing man's existing knowledge?

Name: Rita Cooper
Age: Over 25
Subject: Research
Date: 16 Nov 1998
Time: 02:15:34

Question

Name: Rita Cooper
Age: Over 25
Subject: Research
Date: 16 Nov 1998
Time: 02:18:17

Question

Name: George
Age: Over 25
Subject: king
Date: 01 Dec 1998
Time: 13:33:44

Question

i have read that the equazion about the increase of the mass by speed was knoun before einstein. Is it true.i also want to know if the equazions of einstein would exist if we took lorentz and poinkare relativity and not einsteins.i mean generaly.

Name: George
Age: Over 25
Subject: relativity
Date: 01 Dec 1998
Time: 13:35:04

Question

Name: Tenny
Age: Over 25
Subject: GPS Satellites
Date: 07 Jan 1999
Time: 23:59:53

Question

How many GPS Satellites serving for GPS around the earth now, and to which countries are they belong? Are they all work or are some for spares? Thanks!

Name: Mr. Adams
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: The Question
Date: 05 Feb 1999
Time: 12:31:01

Question

Name: Ryan
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Testing
Date: 01 Apr 1999
Time: 14:13:24

Question

I'm just seeing how this works, so I might duplicate it for the new SPARC/Windows pages...

Question

Name: Ryan
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Functioning?
Date: 02 Apr 1999
Time: 15:28:12

Question

I bet this doesn't show up in my other browser window when it refreshes, because there's no META EXPIRES tag...

Name: ignacio
Age: Over 25
Subject: joule heating
Date: 05 May 1999
Time: 00:23:01

Question

Name: jason
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: a question
Date: 08 Oct 1999
Time: 08:13:31

Question

i heard that someone discovered a certian atom like particle that doesn't exsist until he/she looks for it. i was wondering if this was true and if it is could you explain it a little and maybe even tell me what it is called.

Name: Rick
Age: Over 25
Subject: Friction
Date: 23 Oct 1999
Time: 00:46:59

Question

I have 6 books piled up. Each weighs 5 N and the coefficent of knetic friction between books is .2 What force is needed to push the five books (together) of of the bottom book? What force is needed to push only the fifth book down from the top out of the pile. (one book sliding on two surfaces, the top books stay put and so does the bottom only the fifth book down book moves out of the pile). The first part is the coefficent of friction times the normal force. Please explain the answer to the second part with respect to the forces involved. My solution manual shows seven newtons.

Name: Bill
Age: Over 25
Subject: Seeking help
Date: 12 Nov 1999
Time: 18:07:29

Question

When studying physics at 1st, 2nd, 3rd year University level, is it adviseable to study mathematics (calculas etc) parallel to the physics?

Name: zoey
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: question
Date: 21 Nov 1999
Time: 11:10:40

Question

A man is 1.80 m tall and his centre of mass is 58% of his height up from the floor. Determine the speed of the top of head if he falls over face first.

Name: butch
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: telescopy
Date: 26 Nov 1999
Time: 20:31:33

Question

what is the latest research on telescopy? what is the farthest reach of telescopy?

Name: Sherol Michaeli
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Ace spacecraft and its orbit
Date: 03 Dec 1999
Time: 23:21:10

Question

Could you send me a a detailed picture and/or description of the ACE and POLAR launch and orbit. I'm doing a project for school in which I need to design a model spacecraft to observe how the sunsports and the aurora are correlated...I've tried to look everywhere for any information about orbits but I was not successful.

Name: Jeffrey
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Hercules Paper
Date: 05 Dec 1999
Time: 18:17:19

Question

I am writing a research paper and the project is called the Hercules Project. Yet we don't have to research about Hercules but rather about anything we want. My topic has to do with how computer games and the internet affect the minds of young teens. I would like to know if your company handles things that have to do with behavioral science and computers. If so i would be interested in sending you some questions. It would be an online type interview sort of thing. If there is anything you could do that could help me and my topic I would be most appreciative. Thanks. You can reach me at this email address: (moez_2@hotmail.com)Thanks again

Name: Lego889403394@aol.com
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Space Physicist
Date: 04 Jan 2000
Time: 16:23:34

Question

I have a term paper i have to do and i would like to ask you if you would know what courses to take in highschool to be prepared for college? ( like 4 math : algebra, algebra 2 , geometry, calculus) i'm not quite sure what i must take.

Name: John H.
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Antimatter
Date: 10 Jan 2000
Time: 20:39:51

Question

Is there a way in a universe with both matter and antimatter to distinguish left from right?

Name: G-BART 21
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: Space technology advancement
Date: 18 Jan 2000
Time: 21:32:16

Question

I have several questions. 1. When will nuclear, ion, plasma, or antimatter engines be used on spacecraft? How fast will the most powerful ones go? 2. Is there any development of antigravity, shield, or laser weapon technology? 3. When will residential space colonies exist in space and/or on Mars? I believe Mars can be adapted to support human life. There is plenty of Iron and Oxygen in the soil to make steel buildings and O2 which can be released into the atmosphere along with some Argon and Nitrogen. Also, with the greenhouse effect, Mars will easily increase in temperature. Theoretically, if a hotter surface temperature is achieved, with all the CO2, Mars could grow trees. 4. Are all of these questions classified?

Name: cooljay
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: qualifications
Date: 24 Jan 2000
Time: 19:41:26

Question

Name: cooljay
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: qualifications
Date: 24 Jan 2000
Time: 19:45:25

Question

Name: Shannon
Age: Under 12
Subject: Science (Space)
Date: 09 Feb 2000
Time: 13:32:31

Question

Name: Reggie
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: gamma rays
Date: 11 Feb 2000
Time: 22:04:48

Question

Name: Wondering
Age: Over 25
Subject: Radio Waves
Date: 17 Mar 2000
Time: 16:54:22

Question

Will radio waves of 5.5 to 6.5 gigaherz injure trees in any wave if directed toward trees? (For instance, will it boil the liquid in the leaves?)

Name: olin
Age: Over 25
Subject: event horizon
Date: 24 Mar 2000
Time: 19:41:46

Question

would there be any detectible event horizon around a cosmic string? could this be beyond our 3 dimensional means of perception

Name: olin
Age: Over 25
Subject: Bucky tubes/strings
Date: 24 Mar 2000
Time: 19:45:23

Question

have there been any successful linking of buckey balls into a workable filament?

Name: Lars
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: general info
Date: 25 Mar 2000
Time: 18:42:08

Question

i hope you see this before i have to turn in my project... What education is necessary in becoming a space physicist? What is a general beginning salary? Could you give a brief description of your career? I would've done this sooner, but my 12 page term paper is due this week and it counts quite a bit more (10% of my final grade) than this mini-project. Thanks in advance. -lars

Name: imkrystal@cs.com
Age: 13 - 25
Subject: report info
Date: 5/21/00
Time: 11:07:47 PM

Question

HI. My name is Krystal and I have a report due in a week. I need to find out basic information about a space physicist. How much you earn, what the job requires, colleges with this course, etc. If you could reply in the next week it would be very helpful. Thanks so much. Krystal

Name: bspasov@yahoo.com
Age: Over 25
Subject: Planck constants
Date: 12/7/00
Time: 12:38:21 PM

Question

What is the physical meaning of the PLANCK MASS (=2.1767*10^(-8) kg)? I would appreciate if you recommend some source on the Internet. Thank you very much. Boris

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