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5
NSF Program Implementation
In this chapter the committee reviews recommendations to NSF in the context of the committee’s
program in solar and space physics. Where appropriate, the chapter also addresses connections to the
2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and
Astrophysics,1 which also considered ground-based solar physics. Cost implications are considered, but
as the recommendations are not fit to a specific budget, we do not prioritize our recommendations to NSF.
GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS
The committee’s baseline priority for NSF is to support existing ground-based facilities, and to
complete programs in advanced stages of implementation. These are described in Chapter 1 and
illustrated in Figure 1.2 ("The Heliophysics Systems Observatory"). The global nature of solar and space
physics is such that it requires a synergistic complement of space-based and ground-based observational
approaches, which both support and are supported by theory and modeling. Ground-based observations
are also increasingly used in near-real-time data-driven models of the heliosphere and space weather.
Synoptic and long-term measurements from ground-based instruments are essential for capturing the
complex dynamics of geospace and observing long-term trends. Ongoing ground-based observations of
the Sun likewise facilitate studies of long-term variations, as well as revealing solar features with the
finest spatial resolution and presenting unique views of solar eruptions.
Maintaining ground-based observatories also requires that NSF maintain and develop, as
necessary, systems for accessing, archiving and mining synoptic and long-term datasets (see Appendix B
and Box 4.1). Furthermore, in DRIVE “Integrate,” the committee describes the importance of expanding
and formalizing the ground-based program's contribution to the success of NASA Explorer- and strategic-
class science so that increasingly important synergies between ground- and space-based observations can
be fully realized (see, e.g., below, “A Heterogeneous Ionospheric Facility Network”).
Advanced Technology Solar Telescope
When it begins operation in 2018, the four-meter ATST will be, by far, the largest optical solar
telescope in the world. Its ability to reach down to the fundamental photospheric density scale-length as a
magnetometer, and to remotely sense coronal magnetic fields where they have never been measured, is
revolutionary. However, despite facility closures by NSO, a significant increase in NSO base funding
will be required to fully exploit the capabilities of the ATST. The NSO Long-range Plan estimates that
ATST operations and data services will require at least $18 million per year, plus $4 million per year for
NSO synoptic programs. Research grants and advanced instrumentation development would require
additional funds.
The committee’s DRIVE “Realize” recommendations emphasize the importance of NSF
providing the ATST with base funding sufficient for operation, data analysis and distribution, and
development of advanced instrumentation for the ATST in order to realize the scientific benefits of this
1
National Research Council. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, The National
Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2010.
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major national investment. This agrees with the 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey
recommendation regarding the need to develop a funding model for ATST operation, instrumentation,
and scientific research.
Mid-Scale Funding Line
Important research is often accomplished through mid-scale research projects that are larger in
scope than typical single PI led projects (MRIs) and smaller than facilities (MREFCs). The Advanced
Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) is an example of a mid-scale project widely seen to have
transformed research in the ground-based AIM community. While different NSF directorates have
programs to support unsolicited mid-scale projects at different levels, these may be overly prescriptive
and uneven in their availability, and practical gaps in proposal opportunities and funding levels may be
limiting the effectiveness of mid-scale research across the foundation. It is unclear, for instance, how
projects like the highly successful AMISR would be initiated and accomplished in the future.
Mechanisms for the continued funding of management and operations at existing mid-scale facilities are
also not entirely clear.
The NSF Committee on Programs and Plans formed a task force to study how effectively it
supports mid-scale projects, how flexible the funding is, how uniformly it is administered across the
foundation, and how well such projects serve the interests of education and public outreach. The resulting
report affirmed the importance of strongly supporting mid-scale instrumentation, but did not recommend
any new or expanded Foundation-wide programs. Nevertheless, as described above in the “Diversify”
recommendations of DRIVE, the committee strongly endorses the creation of such a competitively
selected mid-scale project line for solar and space physics. This is also consistent with the 2010
astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey, which recommended a mid-scale line as their second priority
in large ground-based projects.2
Candidates for a Mid-Scale Line
The committee’s white-paper process and the subsequent disciplinary panel studies brought
forward a number of important heliophysics projects that would require a new mid-scale funding line.
The examples below illustrate the kind of science that the line could enable. The survey committee has
chosen not to explicitly rank these projects, but notes that the first two projects have well-developed
science and implementation plans and have already been vetted by NSF. These are seen as being central
to the integrated science plans outlined in this report and highly synergistic with the ATST as well as
NASA flight programs.
2
In that report, the recommendation for NSF to establish a “Mid-Scale Innovations Program” was accompanied
by the following: “New discoveries and technical advances enable small- to medium-scale experiments and facilities
that advance forefront science. A large number of compelling proposed research activities submitted to this survey
were highly recommended by the Program Prioritization Panels, with costs ranging between the limits of NSF’s
Major Research Instrumentation and MREFC programs, $4 million to $135 million. The committee recommends a
new competed program to significantly augment the current levels of NSF support for mid-scale programs. An
annual funding level of $40 million per year is recommended—just over double the amount currently spent on
projects in this size category through a less formal programmatic structure. The principal rationale for the
committee’s ranking of the Mid-Scale Innovations Program is the many highly promising projects for achieving
diverse and timely science” (National Research Council, New Worlds, New Horizons, 2010, p. 23).
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The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR)
Designed specifically for observing the Sun, the FASR will produce high-quality images of radio
emissions in the 50 MHz to 21 GHz band with fine spatial, spectral, and time resolution. The radio
emissions of interest convey unique, otherwise inaccessible information about the solar atmosphere and
the acceleration of energetic particles. Discoveries in the areas of quiet sun physics, the evolution of
coronal magnetic fields, solar flares, and space weather drivers are anticipated with the undertaking of
this project. FASR was ranked highly by both the 2003 solar and space physics decadal survey and by
the 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey.
The Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO)
COSMO will make continuous synoptic measurements of the corona and chromosphere,
investigating solar eruptive events that are central to space weather and other solar-cycle time scale and
long-term coronal phenomena. Observations will show how the coronal magnetic field behaves across
the sunspot cycle and how the polarity reversal of the global field affects the heliosphere. COSMO data
will provide information about interactions between magnetically closed and open regions that determine
the changing structure of the heliospheric magnetic field. The large field of view and continuous
observations of COSMO will complement high-resolution, but small field-of-view, coronal magnetic field
observations that may be taken by the ATST.
In addition, the committee identified four other projects that would be suitable for the mid-scale
line. These projects are not yet well developed but represent the kind of creative approaches that will be
necessary for filling the gaps in observational capabilities and for moving the survey's integrated science
plan forward. They are the following.
An All-Atmosphere Lidar Observatory
The most significant discoveries in the AIM discipline over the last decade involve increased
appreciation of the influence of neutral atmospheric waves and instabilities on ionospheric structure and
dynamics. An impediment to further research is the lack of direct, ground-based observations of the
dynamics and thermodynamics of the mesosphere and, crucially, the thermosphere. Recent technical
developments in the areas of high-power Rayleigh lidar and new resonance lidars now offer the
possibility of wind and temperature measurements from the ground well into the thermosphere for the
first time. A lidar observatory capable of observing gravity waves and tides and associated
phenomenology in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere would accelerate discovery across the AIM
discipline.
A Heterogeneous Ionospheric Facility Network
Processes central to AIM science are multi-scale in nature, with global features that extend from
the equator to the pole together with local features such as embedded small-scale irregularities that
intermittently affect communications. Examples include traveling ionospheric disturbances, regions of
storm-enhanced density, and the ionospheric response to sudden stratospheric warming events. Capturing
these phenomena will require the deployment of an autonomous network of heterogeneous instruments,
using optical and radio remote sensing techniques to measure neutral winds and temperatures, plasma
densities, and plasma irregularities. Such a network would become a valuable facility in its own right,
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comparable to an EarthScope/USArray3 for heliophysics, and would also be the ground-based counter-
part to space-based investigations, complementing everything from CubeSat projects to NASA strategic
missions.
A Southern-Hemisphere Incoherent Scatter Radar
The AMISR phased-array incoherent scatter radar has proven to be a most incisive instrument for
measuring the state properties of the ionosphere with panoramic coverage and high precision. Unknown,
however, is the degree of inter-hemispheric conjugacy that can be assumed. The next logical step is to
deploy an AMISR face in the southern hemisphere, expanding the latitudinal coverage of the
heterogeneous network further. A deployment in the Antarctic region in particular would allow for the
first ground-based assessment of conjugacy of geomagnetic storms.
Next-Generation Ground-Based Instrumentation
There is a need to support continuing instrumentation and technology development for ground-
based solar physics in both the national facilities and in the universities. Support of advanced
instrumentation and seeing-compensation techniques for the ATST and other solar telescopes is necessary
to keep ground-based solar physics at the cutting edge. At the same time it is necessary to ensure that
adequate support is available to ensure that young scientists and engineers in the field of solar
instrumentation are nurtured. That implies a need for adequate funding and good career opportunities,
including the opportunity to work on exciting new instrumentation projects.
CUBESATS
The efforts by NSF AGS Division to support student CubeSats have engendered an enormous
amount of interest from universities and partner institutions. As of October, 2011, eight CubeSats projects
are underway. Launches have been scheduled (between 2011-2013) for all but two of the projects.
(NASA's ELaNA program is instrumental in obtaining launch opportunities and serves as a model for
other small satellite projects discussed by the survey.)
All of the projects have been deemed by peer review to have well-defined, important science
objectives and to provide unique datasets. All involve entirely new flight hardware and carry the promise
of precedent-setting measurements. The limitations imposed by the small platforms demand a high degree
of technical innovation in terms of power, control, storage, and downlink. CubeSats provide a unique
platform for technological innovation where technical readiness can be developed to levels appropriate
for application on larger spacecraft. Furthermore, most of the CubeSat hardware is designed, built, and
tested by student teams under faculty and professional engineering supervision. Students in fact
participate in every aspect of a CubeSat project.
Each CubeSat project requires approximately $0.4 million of funding annually. NSF is targeting a
continuous queue of six CubeSats projects with two new starts and two launches each year. This will
require approximately $2.5 million of sustained annual funding. Current AGS budgets allow for
approximately $1.5 million annually. There is therefore a shortfall of about $1 million per year.
The CubeSat program has clearly moved beyond its initial trial phase and has demonstrated great
success, particularly in areas of education. As described above in the “Diversify” recommendations of
DRIVE, the committee believes that the program deserves its own line of funding at the level necessary to
sustain two starts per year. The committee also recommends specific metrics to be employed for assessing
3
See http://www.earthscope.org/observatories/usarray.
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the adequacy of the size of the program going forward. We are enthusiastic about the prospects of the
CubeSat program for contributing to technology development as well as basic research.
EDUCATION
Faculty and Curriculum Development
As recommended above in the “Educate” component of DRIVE, the committee endorses the
continuation of the successful NSF Faculty Development in Space Sciences, and the development of a
complementary curriculum development program. The committee also recommends that 4-year
institutions of higher education should also be considered eligible for FDSS awards as a means to further
broaden and diversify the field, subject to the burden of proof that program objectives pertaining to
research education are achievable by the proposing institution. As existing FDSS awards come to term,
the program is expected to change, with new awards being staggered to avoid boom-bust faculty hiring
cycles. The number of junior faculty in the FDSS queue will likely remain the same, and so the burden on
other AGS programs will also remain constant.
Undergraduate and Graduate Training
The NSF REU program is an excellent means to attract talented undergraduates to the field, and
the committee has endorsed it in the “Educate” component of DRIVE, along with the various summer
school offerings supported by NSF. Presently, these include the annual Polar Aeronomy and Radio
Science (PARS), the AMISR school on incoherent scatter, and CISM. The total allocation for these
schools is $200,000 per year. Additional schools take place at the National Solar Observatory and as part
of the annual CEDAR/GEM/SHINE meetings. The committee notes the particular need for a replacement
for the CISM school and also the desirability of providing opportunities for professional development of
graduate students via community workshops. In addition, the skills needed to become successful
scientists go beyond such formal discipline training, and include interpersonal and communication skills,
awareness of career opportunities, and leadership and lab management ability. The committee endorses
NSF programs that support post-doctoral and graduate student mentoring and recommends that NSF
enable opportunities for focused community workshops that directly address professional development
skills for graduate students. Finally, the committee endorses programs that specifically target enhancing
diversity within solar and space physics, like NSF (Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in
the Geosciences (OEDG) program.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
Solar and space physics is intrinsically multidisciplinary and appears in more than one NSF
division or directorate. The National Solar Observatory and the ATST are currently within the
Astronomy Division of the Math and Physical Sciences Directorate. The Atmospheric and Geospace
Sciences (AGS) Division within the Geosciences Directorate manages ionospheric and magnetospheric
science, but also solar-heliospheric and space weather science. AGS is also the home of the National
Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its High Altitude Observatory (HAO), which supports a
broad range of research topics ranging from Sun to Earth.
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Funding Cross-Cutting Science
The placement of solar and space physics in multiple divisions and directorates arises from the
cross-cutting relevance of the science. However, funding for basic research on subjects which are not
clearly aligned with one division can be difficult to obtain, having no clear home at NSF. For example,
sun-as-a-star and planetary magnetospheric research falls between AGS and Astronomy. Another timely
example is the science of the outer heliosphere. Recent observations of the outer heliosphere by NASA
satellites raise fundamental science questions pertaining to the structure of shocks, where and how
magnetic reconnection takes place, and how particles are accelerated, all of which are subjects integral to
the Sun-Earth-heliosphere system science program. The committee has recommended in the “Integrate”
element of the DRIVE initiative that NSF ensure funding is available for basic research in subjects that
fall between sections, divisions, and directorates, and that in particular the outer heliosphere be
considered within the scope of AGS. The committee further calls attention to the importance of
maintaining a laboratory program to probe fundamental plasma physics.
Heliophysics Science Centers
Another way to promote cross-disciplinary research is via critical-mass groupings of observers,
theorists, modelers, and computer scientists who together target grand-challenge questions in the field of
heliophysics, as recommended in “Venture” of the DRIVE initiative. The periodic competition for
Heliophysics Science Centers (HSCs) with substantial funding (at the level of $1 million to $3 million per
year.) will focus attention on the field in a way that is not possible with the present programmatic mix.
The NSF Physics Frontier Centers are successful examples that have become highly competitive in the
university community and might serve as models for the HSCs. They also have great potential for
attracting faculty and students via their focus on exciting and challenging science.
Solar and Space Physics at NSF
The assets across NSF for solar and space physics are significant. The Astronomy Division of
MPS is the home of the National Solar Observatory, with ongoing synoptic observations and the ATST
under construction. It is also the home of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is home to
some solar researchers. The AGS Division of the Geosciences Directorate has championed the CubeSats
program, arguably the most innovative development in space flight over the last decade. AGS is also the
home of solar and space physics research at NSF, both in the Geospace Section and in the
NCAR/Facilities Section at HAO, which also runs the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory. AGS has increased
its responsibility for the Arecibo Radio Observatory, which remains the largest aperture in the world for
astrophysical, planetary, and atmospheric studies. It has pioneered the utilization of hosted payloads
through its involvement with Iridium and Iridium NEXT, serving as a model for NASA in that respect.
The 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey considered the future of NSF-supported
solar research in view of its likely expansion in the ATST era. The current funding split, with the majority
of grant funding coming from AGS while facilities funding is divided between AGS and AST, was noted
for being unusual and differing from the space-based solar research model. The report concluded that
large facilities like the ATST would benefit from a more unified approach for how the two NSF divisions
develop and support ground-based solar physics. It further encouraged NSF to work with the solar,
heliospheric, stellar, planetary, and geospace communities to find a way to a coordinated, balanced
ground-based solar astronomy program able to maintain multidisciplinary ties. The relevance and
importance of these recommendations have not diminished in the intervening time.
A more unified approach to solar and space physics at NSF would help establish the field as a
professional discipline. The FDSS program also works in this direction, and the committee has
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emphasized in DRIVE “Educate” the need for NSF to make solar and space physics an officially
recognized sub-discipline of physics and astronomy. Currently it is not listed as a dissertation research
area within NSF’s Annual Survey of Earned Doctorates. This influences other rankings, ratings, and
demographic surveys done by the NRC and AIP. Ultimately, having the field held up as an official sub-
discipline enhances its visibility and enhances the ability to recruit future space scientists.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
A comprehensive investigation in solar and space physics cannot take place in isolation but
should be part of an international effort, with different countries able to bring to bear unique geographic
advantages, observing platforms, and expertise. The research community in the United States is poised to
participate in and take advantage of a number of emerging international initiatives that could contribute to
the fulfillment of the overall survey strategy. For example, the international incoherent scatter radar
consortium EISCAT is embarking on the EISCAT3D project. EISCAT3D will be a very large,
distributed, multistatic, transceiving array able to measure ionospheric state variables in three-dimensions
through incoherent scatter. The technological, analytic, and logistical challenges that must be overcome to
realize EISCAT3D are daunting but could be overcome more easily with the participation of U.S.
researchers, who would benefit enormously from access to this prototypical instrument. Another example
is the International Space Weather Meridian Circle Program headquartered in China. This ambitious
program seeks to fully instrument the 120E and 60W meridian in order to provide a global picture of
unfolding space weather events. Researchers in the United States are natural partners for the program,
already maintaining extensive arrays of space weather monitoring instruments in North and South
America. The addition of the Asian half of the meridian will be useful for distinguishing local time from
storm-time space weather phenomenology.
While participation in international solar and space research projects could be accomplished
through numerous individual, bilateral initiatives and agreements, the overall impact would be increased
by coordinated agency involvement. The NSF in particular is well situated to help organize U.S.
participation in these and other international projects.
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