NASA to Launch Magnetic Storm Probes

eldavojohn writes "The aurora borealis (also known as the Northern Lights) has long been known to be an effect resulting from the Sun's solar wind pushing particles into the earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. In light of the possible danger that these substorms could pose to astronauts & equipment, NASA is now planning a mission to track down these magnetic storms and disturbances. The program's not so catchy name of Time History of Events and Macroscale Interaction during Substorms has a slightly catchier acronym of THEMIS. From the article, "In order to scan the Earth's magnetic field and pinpoint the origin of substorms, THEMIS researchers plan to stagger their spacecraft in different orbits that range in altitude from 10 to 30 times the radius of the Earth (the planet's radius is about 3,962 miles, or 6,378 kilometers).""

Comments

Magentic probe?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know there is a good joke here somewhere, I just can't think of it. What the hell is a Magentic storm probe? Is this like when the magenta toner explodes in a laser printer?

Re:Magentic probe?

[dreddnott]

Cyanic storm probe tests have already conclusively determined that cyanic storms turned out to be made of HCN.

Yellowic storm probes are used mostly to clear out earwax...

You know what, I think you are wrong, there are no "good jokes here somewhere."

Re:Magentic probe?

[denzacar]

Something similar happened to me once when in a moment of absentmindedness I first removed the protective strip and THEN shook the toner.
Lets just say that my colleagues were not amused. At first.

But when they realised that the cloud concentrated only around me - they found it much more amusing.

THEMIS the *new* name

[popo]

"THEMIS Probes" might not sound all that exciting, but its a big upgrade from the old name.

For a long time the sattelites were called the "Aurora National Atmospheric Layer Probes", but the acronym
"ANAL Probes" was just too hard to take seriously.

Units of Measurement

[tehSpork]

"In order to scan the Earth's magnetic field and pinpoint the origin of substorms, THEMIS researchers plan to stagger their spacecraft in different orbits that range in altitude from 10 to 30 times the radius of the Earth (the planet's radius is about 3,962 miles, or 6,378 kilometers)."

Due to what happened with the Mars Polar Lander could we get those figures in just one measurement system, if for no other reason just to avoid possible confusion and the possibility of sending a spacecraft hurtling into the surface of a planet I live on? Thanks. :)

This is all just leading up to a manned mission.

[Cappy Red]

I heard that they were planning on sending a team led by Dr. Reed Richards to follow up on this project's findings. The team will consist of somewhere between three and five people.

THEMIS

[QuasiRob]

You just know they think up the name first (THEMIS), then think up words to make a vaguely sciencey phrase to fit it ( Time History of Events and Macroscale Interaction during Substorms ) and then have to sit around wondering what a mission with such a name would actually do. Quite clearly one of the people involved wanted a mission involving time travel but they just ended up with investigating solar wind storms.