NRL804

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CORONAL MASS EJECTION WARNING SYSTEM (CMEWS,
NRL-804) Dr. James A. Klimchuk Code
7675JAK Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC
20375 [phone] klimchuk_at_bandit.nrl.navy.mil
NRL-804
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Concept

• Objectives
• Develop, test, and validate a system for
• detecting head-on coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
  at the Sun
• forecasting their subsequent space weather
  effects
• Accumulate a CME database to facilitate
• improved physical understanding
• enhanced forecasting capability

NRL-804

• Approach
• Observe CMEs directly as halo events
• (visible-light coronagraph)
• Observe coronal blast wave and arcade proxies
• (EUV imager)
• Correlate observed properties with types and
  magnitudes of space
• weather disturbances

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Justification
NRL-804

• Relevance
• CMEs adversely affect military and civilian
  systems
• (communication, navigation, surveillance,
  manned space flight, electric
• utilities)
• Defense Technology Area Plan calls for 80
  improvement in space weather
• forecasting by FY03
• Multi-agency National Space Weather Program
  recently created
• Alternatives
• Current space weather forecasts are highly
  unreliable
• Other concepts do not take advantage of recent
  technological and
• scientific breakthroughs
• Why Space?
• Head-on CMEs cannot be observed from ground due
  to atmospheric scattered
• light
• EUV photons do not penetrate the atmosphere

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Detailed Overview
NRL-804

• Instrumentation
• Visible-light coronagraph

• EUV Imager
• Strong heritage/proven technology/low risk
• Ride
• Free flyer or piggyback
• Sun-synchronous or geosynchronous orbit
• Operations
• Negligible (highly automated system)
• Funding
• Not yet identified

1 year mission lifetime
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NRL-804