Synopses & Reviews
Imagine what an extra-terrestrial Weather Channel would be like, with a professional space weatherman as your forecaster, and you get rather close to the astounding aspects of nature described in John Freeman's Storms in Space. Known only to a handful of space scientists, yet capable of disrupting technical systems as extensive as communication satellites and electric power grids Storms in Space is the first book to unveil the unseen elements of outer space. Opening with a series of vignettes (describing how the Northern and Southern lights [the aurora] are a visible manifestation of space storms, or how satellites serve as weather stations in space), Freeman provides visual analogies to help illustrate the effects of a storm in space on people. These vignettes explore the chain of events that lead to the storm and to connect the facets of the storm with the scenes in the vignettes. Freeman details the state of the art in forecasting space storms, the models that are used, and the prospects for their future improvement. He also describes the hazards of space storms for human technological systems including human space flight. Storms in Space provides both a new understanding and appreciation of how seemingly insignificant disturbances out there can have major effects right here. John W. Freeman is Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. Over the past 35 years he has directed a number of satellite instrumentation projects, including the Apollo 12, 14, and 15 projects for which he was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (1973). He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of Space Power. Freeman is currently working to develop a model that will forecast the intensity of the Van Allen Radiation Belts and helping to build a National Space Weather Service.
Review
"The writer's style is descriptive, helping the reader visualize what is actually unseen by the eye.... I enjoyed the book and recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about storms in space, their origin, and their impacts." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Synopsis
Disruption of spacecraft and satellites, television transmission failures and power blackouts are just a few of the powerful effects of space weather, caused by the charged particles and electromagnetic force fields that dominate space. This book compares terrestrial and space weather, and describes how space weather occurs and how it can be monitored and forecasted. Written from a personal perspective, this clear and compelling book will be valuable to anyone with an interest in understanding the phenomenon of space weather.
About the Author
John Freeman is Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, Houston, Texas. His primary research interests include computer modelling of the Earth's magnetosphere for space weather specification and prediction, neural networks and other artificial intelligence applications to forecasting geophysical parameters. Professor Freeman has directed a number of satellite instrumentation projects, and has been awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his work with the Apollo Program.
Table of Contents
Introduction; The cast of characters; Vignettes of the storm; 1. Two kinds of weather; 2. The saga of the storm; 3. Weather stations in space; 4. Lights in the night: the signature of the storm; 5. A walking tour of the magnetosphere; 6. The sun: where it all begins; 7. Nowcasting and forecasting storms in space; 8. Technology and the risks from storms in space; 9. A conversation with Joe Allen; 10. Manned exploration and space weather hazards; 11. The present and future of space weather forecasting; Mathematical Appendix: A closer look; Glossary; Figure captions.