News Articles


2014

March 11, 2014
THEMIS Discovers New Process that Protects Earth from Space Weather

NASA's THEMIS mission observed how dense particles normally near Earth in a layer of the uppermost atmosphere called the plasmasphere can send a plume up through space to help protect against incoming solar particles during certain space weather events. More information

 

2013

February 28, 2013
Van Allen Probes Discover a New Radiation Belt

Earth's radiation belts were one of the first discoveries of the Space Age. A new finding published in today's issue of Science shows that we still have much to learn about them. NASA's twin Van Allen Probes, launched just last August, have revealed a previously unknown third radiation belt around Earth. Previous observations of the Van Allen belts dating back to the late 1950s have documented two distinct regions of trapped radiation surrounding our planet, known as the inner and outer radiation belts. Particle sensors aboard the twin Van Allen Probes quickly revealed to scientists the existence of a transient, third radiation belt. Scientists observed the third belt for four weeks before a powerful interplanetary shock wave from the sun annihilated it.
More Information

 

2012

November 21, 2012
NASA Renames RBSP Mission to Honor Pioneering Physicist James Van Allen

NASA has officially renamed the recently launched mission to study Earth's radiation belts the Van Allen Probes, in honor of the late James Van Allen. The new name of the mission, previously called the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), was announced during a Nov. 9, 2012 ceremony at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. APL built the probes and manages the mission for NASA. James Van Allen was the head of the physics department at the University of Iowa and is recognized for his discovery in 1958 of radiation belts encircling Earth.
More Information

 

September 18, 2012
NASA Probes Record Sounds Of Space

by Jon Hamilton, NPR
Twin spacecraft rdecently began orbiting the earth, and the probes have been sending back strangely beautiful recordings of the sounds of space. Scientists call it the chorus. The sounds come from the magnetosphere, an area where charged particles from the sun interact with the earth's magnetic field. Read the transcript here. Listen here.

 

August 30, 2012
NASA Launches Radiation Belt Storm Probes

NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), the first twin-spacecraft mission designed to explore our planet’s radiation belts, launched into the predawn skies at 4:05 a.m. EDT today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Read more here.


IE Icon Adobe PDF IconThe Origin of Plasmaspheric Hiss - May 8, 2009 (Science article, PDF - 317kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconAn Observation Linking the Origin of Plasmaspheric Hiss to Discrete Chorus Emissions - May 8, 2009 (Science article, PDF - 3MB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconCosmic chorus fills the Earth's magnetic field with a mysterious "hiss" - May 8, 2009(Story from Yahoo! News, PDF - 31kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconEarth's Magnetic Field Hisses Due to Distant "Chorus"
- May 7, 2009 (National Geographic News, PDF - 22kB)

IE Icon"Singing" Electrons Protect and Threaten Your TV and GPS - May 7, 2009 (NASA Press release)

IE Icon Adobe PDF Icon“Space tornadoes” cause Northern Lights, claim scientists- April 24, 2009 (An article published in Sindh Today, PDF - 29kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconGiant space tornadoes create Earth's auroras - April 23, 2009 (An article from www.newscientist.com, PDF - 159kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconNew Finding Shows Super-Huge Space Tornados Power the Auroras - April 23, 2009 (An article from www.universetoday.com, PDF - 340kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS satellite tracks electrical tornadoes in space - April 23, 2009 (An article from PhysOrg.com, PDF - 22.2kB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconElectricity Measured Inside Space Tornadoes - April 23, 2009 (An article from www.space.com, PDF - 88kB)


IE Icon Adobe PDF IconCluster finds new clues on what triggers space tsunamis (An article published on the European Space Agency website, also available in PDF - 74kB)
- April 12, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS Weights In On The Northern Lights (News release article from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, also available in PDF - 96kB)
- March 14, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconPetersburg H.S. geology study to be filmed by McNeal Leher (HTML article published in the Petersburg Pilot, also availabe in PDF - 368kB)
- Mar 8, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconBrodelnde Physik macht Lust auf Schule (HTML article, in German, published on newsclick.de, also availabe in PDF - 41kB)
- Mar 6, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS, à la source des aurores polaires (HTML article, in French, published on NOUVELOBS.com, also available in English.)
- Feb 19, 2007

Adobe PDF IconExploran Auroras Boreales (An article published in the Brazilian newspaper Reforma, in Spanish.)
- Feb 16, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconFriday lift-off for aurora probe (HTML article, published on BBC News, also PDF (14kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Feb 15, 2007

IE IconFrench Space Agency's THEMIS page (Link to Centre national d’études spatiales, CNES website, also available in French)
- Jan 31, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS, 5 satellites pour comprendre l'origine des aurores boréales et australes (French only; published on Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
- Jan 31, 2007

IE IconGerman participation in THEMIS (German only - PDF format 111KB)
- Jan 30, 2007

IE IconAustrian participation in THEMIS (Link to Institut Fur Weltraumforschung website, also available in German)
- Jan 25, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconFive New Satellites With a Mission of Finding a Source of Color in Space (HTML article, published in The New York Times, also PDF format if HTML is unavailable.)
- Jan 23, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconFrench participation in THEMIS (HTML article, in English, published on Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; also available in French, PDF)
- Jan 22, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconSatellite swarm to study aurora's triggers (HTML article, published in New Scientist Space, also PDF (82kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Jan 18, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconSpace mission aims to unravel mysteries of Northern Lights (HTML article, published on Yahoo News, also PDF (18kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Jan 18, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconNASA Primes Five Satellites for Stormy Hunt (HTML article, published on Space.com, also PDF (29kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Jan 18, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS Mission to Provide New Understanding of Substorm Life Cycle (HTML article, published on NASA website, also PDF (11kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Jan 17, 2007

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconExpendable Launch Vehicle Status Report (HTML article, published on NASA website, also PDF (8kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Jan 12, 2007


Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS Fact Sheet - 2006 (PDF Format - 428KB)

IE Icon Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS Arrives in Florida for Launch Preparations (HTML article, published on NASA website, also PDF (15kB) format if HTML is not available.)
- Dec 11, 2006

THEMIS probes relocate to Florida for Feb. 15 launch
(HTML article, published on berkeley.edu)
- Dec 11, 2006

Adobe PDF IconRevised THEMIS Lithograph - September 2006 (PDF Format - 358KB)

Adobe PDF IconCapturing The Light Fantastic
(HTML article, published on Legion Magazine, also PDF format if HTML is not available.)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 7 (German)
PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 6 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 5 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 4 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 3 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 2 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconArticle 1 (German)
(PDF Format)
- July 28, 2006

Adobe PDF IconAll five THEMIS Satellites are Getting Ready for Launch (German)
(PDF Format, published in Austrian Space Academy)
- July 24, 2006

Adobe PDF IconTHEMIS Satellites are Getting Ready to Search the Origins of the Auroras (German)
(PDF Format, published in Austrian Press Agency)
- July 24, 2006


BMCC Receives NASA/THEMIS Magnetometer
(JPG Image, article, orginally published in BMCC Newsletter - 2193KB)
- November, 2005

Adobe PDF IconSCHS student take part in NASA study of Northern Lights
(PDF Format, published in Shawano Leader)
- October, 2005

Great Minds Never Stop Learning
(HTML article, published on nevadaappeal.com)
- June, 2005

A Boom in Satellite Engineering
(HTML article, published on Forefront)
- Spring 2005

Auroral Inquest
(HTML article, published on cangeo.ca)
- March, 2005

Adobe PDF IconSpying Saturn's Light Show
(PDF Format, orginally published in Science News- 693KB)
- February, 2005


Adobe PDF IconWhat is THEMIS? - March 2003 (PDF Format - 591KB)