1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Be sure to look for the answers to the following questions. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,000 In which layer of the atmosphere is the ionosphere? 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,000 What is a coronal mass ejection? 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,000 What is space weather? 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,000 Explain a solar cycle. 6 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,000 When you see this icon, the answer is near. 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:38,000 I'm still not sure about this. 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:40,000 Come on, it's easy. 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,000 We find a good hiding spot, note the location using our GPS, 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000 put the location on the internet, and our assignment is complete. 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 I already anticipate a good grade. 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,000 I'm not talking about the assignment. I'm talking about our problem. 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000 I've got a new hypothesis. 14 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,000 A solar flare occurred during our first attempt at geocaching. 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Now there is no solar flare, so we aren't getting any technical interference. 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Well, I agree we aren't receiving any interference, 17 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,000 but we still need to confirm our hypothesis. 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:05,000 No problem. 19 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 What do you mean, no problem? 20 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,000 GEO Eagle One to home base, come in please. 21 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Hi, Jacob. We're all set. 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,000 We should have the results in a few minutes. 23 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Jacob, what's going on? 24 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 I knew you wouldn't just accept my hypothesis, so I did some more research. 25 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 I set up an interview between R.J., Kaylee, and Dr. Sten Odenwald, 26 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,000 a NASA researcher who's also over in Norway. 27 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Jacob, you're making real progress. 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 You recognize the problem, conducted solid research, 29 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,000 and you're working to verify your hypothesis. 30 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,000 I'm impressed. 31 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,000 If you think that's impressive, wait till you hear from Dr. Odenwald. 32 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Home base, let me know the minute you finish talking to Dr. Odenwald. 33 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,000 Home base? 34 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Home base? 35 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,000 Jacob, come in. We're getting ready to talk to Dr. Odenwald. 36 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Do you have any additional questions? Over. 37 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:58,000 Over. 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Well, that's funny. It was working just fine a second ago. 39 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Yeah, it's really strange. 40 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Maybe there's been another solar flare that's affected the radio and the GPS. 41 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Poor Jacob and Bianca. 42 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Oh, look. Here he is now. 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000 Hi, Dr. Odenwald. 44 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Hi, kids. Jacob's been telling me about his hypothesis and the research you've been doing. 45 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Sounds very interesting. 46 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,000 Yes, it is. 47 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,000 Of course it will be even more exciting if the hypothesis is correct. 48 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Right. We were hoping you could help us. 49 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:34,000 Jacob believes that a solar flare is responsible for the technical glitch with our GPS, 50 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,000 but we're not sure how. 51 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Well, solar flares are one possibility, of course. 52 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,000 When we're talking about the sun and solar flares, we're talking about a huge amount of energy. 53 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,000 And that energy caused our GPS to malfunction? 54 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,000 It could have. Let's start at the beginning. 55 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Solar flares happen near the surface of the sun 56 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:55,000 because the magnetic fields there that are all tangled up try to get untangled into simpler shapes, 57 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000 and that releases a huge amount of energy. 58 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 Sometimes it can heat the surface all the way up to 100 million degrees. 59 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000 That's incredibly hot. 60 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,000 It really is. 61 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000 The gases near the flare are so hot that they produce X-ray light, 62 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,000 and this light travels to the Earth in about eight and a half minutes and impacts the Earth's atmosphere. 63 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,000 Wow, that's quick. 64 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,000 And when the X-rays arrive, they disrupt the ionosphere on the daytime side of the Earth. 65 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 We learned that the ionosphere is part of the thermosphere, 66 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,000 where there are a lot of charged particles and free electrons. 67 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:31,000 That's right, and these disruptions can cause shortwave radio blackouts that last for hours. 68 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,000 We also learned that GPS communicates using radio waves. 69 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,000 And because solar flares affect radio waves, Jacob's hypothesis is right. 70 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,000 Well, again, solar flares are only one possibility. 71 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,000 You could also have coronal mass ejections and super flares. 72 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,000 What are coronal mass ejections? 73 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Well, during some of the largest solar flares, 74 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:56,000 the same magnetic changes that produce the flare can actually launch a billion-ton cloud of charged particles into space. 75 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 These are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. 76 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,000 Do these clouds affect radio waves? 77 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,000 Oh, yes, they can. 78 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,000 They also produce some of the most intense and widespread aurora. 79 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:12,000 The thing is that they travel to the Earth much slower than the X-rays do from typical solar flares. 80 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000 It usually takes about one to four days for a CME to arrive at the Earth. 81 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,000 What is a super flare? 82 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,000 Well, fortunately for us, super flares are not very common. 83 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,000 When they happen, though, they produce an amazing amount of energy. 84 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,000 How would a super flare affect the Earth? 85 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:31,000 Well, if you're an astronaut in space, a super flare could produce a life-threatening dose of radiation. 86 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:39,000 Historical record also shows that some of the most powerful flares we've seen so far can produce satellite damage or loss of function. 87 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Then our GPS really wouldn't work. 88 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Well, that's right. 89 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Even the CME from a modest super flare like the one in 1989 caused a blackout in Quebec. 90 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,000 Wow, radiation, power shortages. 91 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000 These super flares sound extreme. 92 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,000 It's easy to see how something that's strong as a super flare would have an effect on our GPS. 93 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 But what effect would an average solar flare have? 94 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Well, space weather includes all solar flares, CMEs, and super flares can disturb the ionosphere. 95 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:11,000 These disturbances slow down the speed of the radio signals sent to the Earth from the GPS satellite. 96 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,000 And the speed can vary from minute to minute. 97 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:19,000 And if the signal takes longer to get to Earth, then our GPS receiver will think that the satellite is further away. 98 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,000 You get the wrong position. 99 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,000 Because the speed changes from minute to minute, the GPS location varies as well. 100 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,000 That's exactly what happened to us. 101 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 What we need is some way to predict space weather. 102 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,000 And then we would know the best time to geocache. 103 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,000 And we'd be able to better protect and prepare our astronauts in space. 104 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Well, that's right. 105 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:43,000 NASA's been working for years to understand the complex relationship between the Earth and the sun 106 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,000 using sophisticated satellite systems such as ACE and SOHO. 107 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:53,000 We also work with the image and time satellite systems and sounding rockets launched here in Norway 108 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,000 to study auroras and how electrons and auroral particles flow. 109 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,000 So NASA is at work all around the world. 110 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,000 That's right. 111 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,000 And we work with communities of scientists and researchers all around the world 112 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 to try to understand how space weather affects the Earth. 113 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Thanks, Dr. Unwall. 114 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,000 You may have actually helped support Jacob's hypothesis. 115 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,000 And solved our problem with our walkie-talkies. 116 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Did you say walkie-talkies? 117 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:15,000 Yes. 118 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,000 We lost our radio signal with Jacob just before we called you. 119 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,000 There must have been another solar flare that affected both the walkie-talkies and the GPS 120 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,000 because they both use radio waves. 121 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:30,000 Yeah, but walkie-talkies don't usually use radio waves to travel up to the ionosphere and then back down. 122 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,000 They usually use what's called a ground wave, 123 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,000 which is basically line of sight between the receiver and the transmitter. 124 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:37,000 Oh, no. 125 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Our hypothesis is incorrect. 126 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:40,000 What do we do now? 127 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,000 Well, don't panic. 128 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 You did use careful reasoning after all. 129 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,000 And your basic hypothesis about the GPS problem could still be correct. 130 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:49,000 You just have to do more research. 131 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Perhaps there's a way for us to find out if we had any solar activity 132 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,000 on the first day of our problem and today. 133 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Ah, I think you're onto something. 134 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,000 I've got a friend at NOAA who might be able to help. 135 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,000 I'll give you his email address. 136 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,000 But what about our walkie-talkie problem? 137 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,000 Well, walkie-talkies might require a completely separate hypothesis. 138 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:11,000 Think about a common problem that affects small electronic devices when they're in the field. 139 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:12,000 What would that be? 140 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,000 How about bad batteries? 141 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,000 Take care, kids. 142 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,000 Good luck.