1 00:00:00,010 --> 00:00:04,020 [Reporter] NASA is getting ready to launch a new mission that is going to send 4 spacecraft 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,080 into the heart of magnetic storms around Earth. Here to tell 3 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:12,090 us more about what we can learn from the mission is Dr. Holly 4 00:00:12,110 --> 00:00:16,110 Gilbert from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland, thanks for joining us. 5 00:00:16,130 --> 00:00:20,150 [Gilbert] Thanks for having me. [Reporter] NASA is getting ready to launch a new mission 6 00:00:20,170 --> 00:00:24,160 in a couple hours, tell us about this mission. [Gilbert] The Magnetospheric Multiscale 7 00:00:24,180 --> 00:00:28,180 Mission or MMS, is set to launch tonight at 10:44pm 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,230 eastern time. It is compromised of four identical 9 00:00:32,250 --> 00:00:36,240 spacecraft. Which are going to extend these very long wire booms 10 00:00:36,260 --> 00:00:40,270 with very sensitive instruments on each of them. 11 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:44,310 in a formation, a pyramid formation to special regions around the Earth. 12 00:00:44,330 --> 00:00:48,320 Where a very powerful process takes place called magnetic reconnection 13 00:00:48,340 --> 00:00:52,350 and this process drives some of the most energetic events throughout the universe. 14 00:00:52,370 --> 00:00:56,400 [Reporter] How do magnetic storms 15 00:00:56,420 --> 00:01:00,420 affect us on the Earth? [Gilbert] The Sun and Earth interact 16 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,450 the Sun blows off solar storms that can sometimes be directed towards 17 00:01:04,470 --> 00:01:08,500 the Earth and when they impact the Earth they can interact with the Earth's magnetic 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,510 field. Causing it to deform and twist and snap and then 19 00:01:12,530 --> 00:01:16,540 accelerate particles at near the speed of light smashing them into 20 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,590 atmosphere of the Earth, which causes the beautiful aurora. but this also has very 21 00:01:20,610 --> 00:01:24,600 negative effects, it can cause power grids to go out so we have blackouts that associates 22 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:28,620 with solar storms. Our satellites are susceptible to these storms, as our 23 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,680 astronauts and also airlines that are flying over the polar regions. 24 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:36,690 are more susceptible to this radiation so, space weather in general, 25 00:01:36,710 --> 00:01:40,740 its very important to be able to predict and understanding the cause 26 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,790 this magnetic reconnection is extremely important. 27 00:01:44,810 --> 00:01:48,800 [Reporter] Why is important to understand this phenomenon? [Gilbert] Well it doesn't only 28 00:01:48,820 --> 00:01:52,840 happen near the Earth. It's a very universal process, very fundamental to many things. 29 00:01:52,860 --> 00:01:56,890 It actually happens on the Sun. It drives space weather 30 00:01:56,910 --> 00:02:00,910 solar flares, there's magnetic reconnection happening in 31 00:02:00,930 --> 00:02:04,940 solar flares and larger storms that come from the Sun. But it also happens 32 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,000 in further objects like black holes, the jets that are coming out of 33 00:02:09,020 --> 00:02:13,020 black holes are associated with this process because they have magnetic fields surrounding them. 34 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,070 So, if we can understand it here near the Earth, that will help us understand 35 00:02:17,090 --> 00:02:21,120 the other phenomenon throughout the universe. [Reporter] What can we expect 36 00:02:21,140 --> 00:02:25,150 from this mission? [Gilbert] What we really hope that it will help us better 37 00:02:25,170 --> 00:02:29,190 understand space weather affects, so when these solar storms impact the Earth 38 00:02:29,210 --> 00:02:33,200 how are they going to impact us, when are they going to occur and how dangerous are they going to be 39 00:02:33,220 --> 00:02:37,220 to our technology. By getting lots of measurements 40 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,260 of the process where it is taking place, we will better be able to 41 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,270 hopefully to predict space weather effects right here at the Earth. 42 00:02:45,290 --> 00:02:49,300 [Reporter] Where can we learn more about this mission? [Gilbert] Well you can go to our 43 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,320 website, to not learn about MMS, but a whole bunch of other missions 44 00:02:53,340 --> 00:02:57,340 that are looking at how the Sun impacts the solar system. If you go to 45 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,370 www.nasa.gov/sunearth 46 00:03:01,390 --> 00:03:05,332 [Reporter] Great thanks so much for joining us. [Gilbert] Thank You.