2003 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| HOT-TEMPERED SUN ACCESSORY TO CLIMATE CHANGE
| G03-024 | 03/18/03 | 00:04:36 | The Sun has emerged as a key figure on the ìmost wantedî list of climate change culprits by subtly increasing its output over the past few decades. Since the late 1970s, the amount of solar radiation the Sun emits during times of quiet sunspot activity has increased by nearly .05 percent per decade, according to a NASA-funded study. If that trend continues, this would make the Sun a major player in Earth's climate, and if sustained over many decades, could cause significant climate change.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Amazing Changing Sun (G00-102) - Solar maximum is considered to be the 2-3 year peak period when the Sun's activity is most complex and turbulent, and the space around Earth is most disturbed. The Sun's seasonal cycle is 11 years long versus our one-year cycle. Shown are the dramatic changes on the Sun from a minimum in 1996 to solar maximum in 2000. Historical records of solar activity indicate that solar radiation has been increasing since the late 19th century. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft collected this data.
Courtesy: NASA/ESA
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| ITEM (2): SOHO Spacecraft (G01-006) - - Advance warning of potential bad weather in space is now possible thanks to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft launched in 1995. SOHO operates at a vantage point of about 1 million miles out in space between the Sun and Earth. It carries 12 instruments and is a joint project with the European Space Agency. The Large Angle Spectrometric Coronograph (LASCO) mimics an eclipse in order to study the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) allows for a full-disk view of the Sun.
Courtesy: NASA/ESA
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| ITEM (3): The Current Fleet (G00-012) - The bulk of NASA's solar-observing spacecraft are part of the International Terrestrial Physics Program (ISTP) constellation of satellites. The initiative uses simultaneous and closely coordinated measurements from GEOTAIL, WIND, POLAR, SOHO and Cluster with complementary ground facilities to study the Sun.
Courtesy: NASA /ESA
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