As the world moves into the twenty-first century, our civilization is becoming increasingly dependent on technology which is vulnerable to conditions in the space environment: space weather.

A photo of the Southern Lights taken by the space shuttle Discovery in 1991. Photo courtesy of NASA.

To prepare ourselves to deal with these vulnerabilities, several U. S. government agencies have developed a program called the National Space Weather Program (NSWP). "Space weather" refers to conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems and can endanger human life or health. The National Space Weather Program will:

Assess and document the impacts of space weather Identify customer needs Set priorities Determine agency roles Coordinate interagency efforts and resources Ensure exchange of information and plans Encourage and focus research Facilitate transition of research results into operations Foster education of customers and the public

The overarching goal of the National Space Weather Program is to achieve an active, synergistic, interagency system to provide timely, accurate, and reliable space environment observations, specifications, and forecasts within the next 10 years.

The draft of the NSWP Implementation Plan can be downloaded from the NSWP web page.