Science Nation: NSF-Funded Research to Forecast Space Weather, Protect the Power Grid, Pipelines, and Satellites

While Earth's weather reports center on precipitation, temperature, wind direction, and humidity, space weather forecasts attempt to predict activity that occurs on the sun. Scientists also study how the weather on the sun will affect Earth. At the University of Michigan a team studies solar storms as they form and then barrel off the sun. Sometimes these storms hit the Earth with damaging force. Space weather has the potential to interfere with everything from satellite communications to electrical power. This team is aiming for a five-day forecast capability to give government, private industry, satellite operators, and power grid companies more time to take necessary action to protect critical infrastructure. Part of the "Science Nation."

(Source: DCMP)