Observational tests of auroral theories from a new generation of space and ground-based instrumentation.

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Space Environment research addresses the coupled system that spans the outer layers of the sun, the solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, and planetary atmospheres. This system includes a massive flow of energy carried by the solar wind which, upon encountering the earth's magnetosphere, is converted to up to a trillion Watts of electrical energy. A substantial part of this energy finds its way into our upper atmosphere, where it can dominate atmospheric dynamics and chemistry, and upon which it projects a vast and dynamic visible display in the form of the aurora. Also, solar-wind-driven "space weather" associated with this energy transfer can have a devastating impact on technological systems in orbit as well as on the ground, affecting power distribution, communications, navigation, and more.