Space Weather: Advancing Research, Monitoring, and Forecasting Capabilities, Surveying Space Weather Landscape, Risks from Solar Storms and CMEs to Infrastructure, Electrical Grid and Communications

Two Congressional hearings about the vital role of space weather are reproduced in this compilation. Just as it is a primary driver of weather on Earth, the Sun is also the largest driver of disturbances in our space environment. Solar winds, whose charge and intensity ebbs and flows with various solar phenomena, interact with Earth's magnetic field in interesting and sometimes highly adverse ways. The result of these interactions are what we refer to as space weather storms. While often relegated to the magnetosphere, these storms can and do have tangible and sometimes highly damaging effects in the upper atmosphere and at the terrestrial level. These can range from issues with the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems, all the way to endangering human life or health. As with terrestrial weather, without thorough monitoring and accurate modeling, we simply have no good way to predict space weather events and, in turn, no ability to ensure that citizens are kept out of harm's way if severe events arise. In the federal government, NASA and NOAA are tasked with monitoring and issuing forecasts that inform the public. To make these forecasts, countless dollars are spent on observation and data collection, but despite this, space weather science as a discipline is still in its nascent phase.

While I have no doubt that NASA and NOAA play a vital role in monitoring solar phenomena and making space weather forecasts, we need to explore whether it makes sense to rely solely on government for addressing space weather challenges. In the 21st century, the landscape has changed, and as we can see from our witnesses today, the federal government isn't the only game in town, nor should it be. Forecasting space weather depends on understanding the fundamental processes that give rise to hazardous events. Particularly important is the study of processes that link the Sun-Earth system and that control the flow of energy toward our planet. Partners in the private sector can and should use their advanced, innovative technologies to help us more thoroughly understand these phenomena and improve our space weather predictions. In the face of space weather challenges, instead of continuing to think inside the ''government-only'' box, NASA and NOAA need to look to private partners who are ready and willing to help.