Solar Dynamic Observatory pre-launch press briefing

Tuesday 2nd February 2010
at The Science Media Centre (link opens in a new window)
19 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS
Registration time: from 10.00am
Start time: 10.30am

Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) is NASA’s first Space Weather Research Network mission in the Living with a Star programme (link opens in a new window).

SDO is designed to help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously. The launch is due to take place on Tuesday 9th February 2010. (Expected between 15:30 and 16:30 GMT, 10.30-11.30 EST).

STFC will host a pre-launch briefing (Tuesday 2nd February) to highlight the UK’s involvement in NASA’s mission. The speakers at the event will be Dr Sarah Beardsley, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s (RAL’s) Programme Manager for the SDO project and Professor Richard Harrison, one of the co-Investigators on the project, based at RAL.

RAL has provided the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory with the CCD Camera electronics systems for two of the three scientific instruments on SDO. In addition RAL has a scientific interest through a co-investigator role and is heavily involved in preparation for receipt of high data-rate data, automated analysis, and storage of data for UK Scientists.

Further UK involvement includes UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory and the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sheffield.

For further information and to register your interest in attending the briefing, please contact:

• Lucy Stone
  STFC Press Office
  Tel: +44 (0)1235 445 627
  Mob: +44 (0)7920 870 125