SPACE WEATHER

The Importance of My Job

Congratulations, you have been chosen as the Space Weather (SW) officer for this important mission. Your job is to study the radiation impacting Europa from Jupiter. Make sure to notify the Mission Commander if you notice anything that could jeopardize the mission or put the Mission Commander in danger. You will be communicating with the Remote (REM) team to determine a safe location for the probe to impact the surface of Europa.

Your objectives for this mission are:

  • Research and determine radiation levels on Europa, and 
  • Help other teams in determining probe impact sites based on your research

You will need to follow every step in these TASK CARDS, without skipping a single step. If you find at any point that the readings from the spacecraft are not safe, you must inform the crew! Do not begin the first step until told to do so by the Mission Commander.

If you need assistance at any point during the mission, send a message to “Help Desk” in the call software CHAT. They are there to answer your questions and provide help for the duration of the mission.

RESEARCH

Follow these directions for researching and analyzing RADIATION on Europa

  1. Read the notes from the previous Space Weather officer by clicking on the box labeled NOTES.
    NOTES

    The magnetosphere of Jupiter is caused by the interaction of Jupiter’s magnetic field and solar wind. Extending up to seven million kilometers in the Sun’s direction and almost to the orbit of Saturn in the opposite direction, Jupiter’s magnetosphere is the largest and most powerful of any planetary magnetosphere in the Solar System.

    The action of the magnetosphere traps and accelerates particles, producing intense belts of radiation. The interaction of energetic particles with the surfaces of Jupiter’s largest moons, including Europa, markedly affects their chemical and physical properties. Radiation belts present a significant hazard for spacecraft and potentially to human space travellers. The intense blasts of radiation have the capability of causing complete communication loss.

    2. Answer the RADIATION RESEARCH QUESTIONS below. Click “Submit” when you finish answering the questions.

        RADIATION RESEARCH QUESTIONS

        OPEN RESEARCH QUESTIONS

        RADIATION

        Follow these directions for analyzing potential RADIATION:

        1. Locate the CHAT in your call software.

        2. Select “COM” from the drop-down menu.

        3. Type the following message:

        This is Space Weather. Please send the download code for the radiation map of Europa as soon as possible.


        4. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit SEND or hit ENTER so that the COM officer can read it and deliver it to the Mission Commander.

        5. Read the information on the impacts of Jupiter’s radiation on Europa by clicking on the box labeled RADIATION.

          RADIATION

          By studying the material of Europa’s interior, scientists developing future missions hope to learn more about the possible habitability of Europa’s ocean. However, Europa’s surface is bombarded by a constant and intense blast of radiation from Jupiter. This radiation can destroy or alter material transported up to the surface, making it more difficult for scientists to know if it actually represents conditions in Europa’s ocean. Harsh radiation conditions exist across over half of Europa’s surface.

          6. Once the Mission Commander has sent you the download code for Europa’s radiation map, open the RADIATION DATA LOG and type in the code. Click “Next”.

          7. Analyze the image. Complete the questions below the image then click “Submit”.

           

          RADIATION DATA LOG

          OPEN DATA LOG

          Notepad

          PROBE IMPACT SITE

          Follow these directions for sending the recommending probe impact site and communicating with REM about the determined probe impact site:

          1. Locate the CHAT in your call software.

          2. Select “REM” from the drop-down menu.

          3. Type the following message: 

          This is Space Weather. Based on radiation research, the recommended probe impact site(s) is/are ____________________.

          4. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit SEND or hit ENTER.

          PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

          1. Locate the CHAT in your call software.

          2. Select “Flight Director” from the drop-down menu.

          3. Type the following message:

          This is Space Weather. I have completed my primary objective.

          4. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit SEND or hit ENTER.

          PROBE IMPACT SITE

          Follow these directions to record the probe impact site and complete the space weather report.

          1. Locate the CHAT in your call software. 

          2. Select “REM” from the drop-down menu.

          3. Type the following message in the CHAT:

           Please send the location you’ve selected as the probe impact site as soon as possible.

          4. Once you have typed it in the chat, make sure to hit SEND or ENTER to send the message.

          5. Once you’ve received the location of the probe impact site, click on the PROBE IMPACT SITE LOG and answer the questions. Click “Submit”

          PROBE IMPACT SITE DATA LOG

          OPEN DATA LOG

          SPACE WEATHER REPORT

          1. After you have recorded the confirmed probe impact site, complete the SPACE WEATHER REPORT LOG below to inform the Mission Commander of any potential setbacks in the mission. Click “Submit”.

          2. Once this is completed, locate the CHAT in your call software. 

          3. Select “Flight Director” from the drop-down menu.

          4. Type the following message in the CHAT:

          This is Space Weather. I have completed the Space Weather Report.

          5. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, be sure to hit SEND or ENTER.

          6. Scroll down to FUTURE IMPACT SITES

          SPACE WEATHER REPORT DATA LOG

          OPEN DATA LOG

          FUTURE IMPACT SITES

          1. Locate the CHAT in your call software.

          2. Check for a message from the REM team containing coordinates for a future impact site.   

          3. If there is no message from the REM team at this time, continue to the next section labeled SOLAR ACTIVITY. If there is a message from the REM team, continue to step 4.  

          4. Scroll down to the box labeled FUTURE IMPACT SITES below and follow the instructions. Click “Submit” when you finish the research questions.

          5. Locate the CHAT in your call software.    

          6. Select “REM” from the drop-down menu.  

          7. Type the following message in the CHAT, and fill in the blank with “high” or “low”: 

          This is Space Weather. The impact site you sent has _______ levels of radiation.

          8. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, be sure to hit SEND or ENTER.

          FUTURE IMPACT SITES

          OPEN DATA LOG

          Notepad

          SOLAR ACTIVITY

          Follow these instructions for tracking SOLAR ACTIVITY:

          1. Read the information on solar flares, CMEs and their effects on Jupiter and Europa by clicking the box labeled SOLAR ACTIVITY below.

          SOLAR ACTIVITY

          The Sun emits a ceaseless stream of energetic particles called solar wind. The strength of the solar wind varies depending on the activity on the surface of the Sun. The Earth is mostly protected from the solar wind by its strong magnetic field. However, when the Sun ramps up the amount of energy it releases, a solar flare or coronal mass ejection (CME) can occur.  These types of stronger solar activity, can cause high energy particles and radiation to emit from the Sun which can be dangerous to astronauts in space and can damage satellites and communication equipment. 

           

          In 2011, a CME struck Jupiter, producing x-ray auroras 8 times brighter than normal, and hundreds of times more energetic than Earth’s auroras. The CME also compressed Jupiter’s magnetosphere. The compression of the magnetosphere can cause geomagnetic storms, changes in the radiation levels and can block high-frequency radio transmissions among other things. 

          2. Open the SOLAR ACTIVITY DATA LOG below and analyze the data. Then complete the questions and click “Submit.”

           

          SOLAR ACTIVITY DATA LOG

          OPEN DATA LOG

          1. Locate the CHAT in your call software. 

          2. Select “Flight Director” from the drop-down menu.

          3. Type the following message:

          This is Space Weather. I have completed all my tasks.

          4. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit SEND or ENTER.

          5. Wait quietly for any further instructions.

          EMERGENCY 

          In the event that communication with the Spacecraft starts to fail due to intense radiation exposure, you will need to walk the Mission Commander through fixing the emergency. You will be speaking directly to the Mission Commander, so you must have your microphone enabled. If the Flight Director directs you to, follow these instructions to begin:

          1. Locate the MICROPHONE button on your call software. 

          2. The MICROPHONE button will have two states: on and off. To test that it works, say the entirety of the following message to Mission Commander:

           EMERGENCY! This is Space Weather to Spacecraft. Do you read me, over?

          3. The Mission Commander may respond if they receive your message. More likely, they will not respond due to the nature of the emergency. You need to proceed with sending the Mission Commander directions to resolve the emergency regardless of receiving a response or not.

          4. Say the following to the Mission Commander:

          EMERGENCY! This is Space Weather. Due to intense radiation exposure, you need to activate the advanced shielding protocol. I repeat: Due to intense radiation exposure, you need to activate the advanced shielding protocol.

          5. Wait a moment to see if the Mission Commander is able to send a message to Mission Control. If you do not hear the Mission Commander, send the following message:

          This is Space Weather to Spacecraft. Do you read me, over?

          6. If the Mission Commander responds, the advance shielding protocol has been activated in order to protect the Spacecraft from additional radiation blasts and the emergency has been resolved. You may resume your regular task cards. If the Mission Commander does not respond, partner with your Flight Director to resolve the communication loss with the Spacecraft.