2hrly gs ch p nasa's van allen probes discover a surprise circling earth

NASA's Van Allen Probes Discover a Surprise Circling Earth

NASA science spacecraft launches

Researchers wait patiently for months as instruments on board are turned on

one at a time, slowly ramped up to full power, and tested to make sure they work at full

capacity.

The Van Allen Probes

Launched on Aug. 30, 2012, To study two giant belts of radiation that

surround Earth.

Van Allen belts, were discovered with the first launches of satellites in 1958 by James Van Allen.

Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT)

Changing the plan

Asked that the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) be turned on early – just three days after launch.

In order that Its observations would overlap with another mission called SAMPEX (Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer) that was soon going to de-orbit and re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

SAMPEX

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt

"We started wondering if there was something wrong with our instruments. We checked everything, but there was nothing wrong with them. The third belt persisted beautifully, day after day, week after week, for four weeks."

Feb. 28, 2013.

Incorporating this new configuration into their models of the radiation belts offers scientists new clues to what causes the changing shapes of the belts

A region that can sometimes swell dramatically in response to incoming energy from the sun, impacting satellites and spacecraft or pose potential threats to manned space flight.

The Van Allen Belts

In 1958, discovered Two giant swaths of radiation surrounding Earth.

But In 2012, observations a 3rd belt appears.

The radiation is shown here in

YellowGreen

Credit: NASA/Van Allen Probes/Goddard Space Flight Center

Two giant belts of radiation

3rd giant Radiation BeltOn Aug. 31, 2012

A giant prominence on the sun erupted, sending out particles and a shock wave that traveled near Earth.

3rd radiation belt

This image of the prominence before it erupted was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA solar dynamics observatory (SDO)