Thermospheric connections

Abstract

Many people believe that the region of space familiar for visions of astronauts floating about their work outside a space shuttle cargo bay is empty, nothing, a vacuum. Contrary to popular opinion, the Earth's atmosphere extends even beyond that place where shuttle crews release, repair, or retrieve satellites. Despite its comparative anonymity, this remote layer of the atmosphere, known as the thermosphere, contributes to the protection of life on Earth. This is humankind's fundamental connection to the thermosphere. For that reason alone, it is deserving of our attention. The thermosphere is, in turn, affected by our activities. It is physically connected to the sun, Earth, and the remainder of Earth's atmosphere. Important insight into this complicated physical system frequently emerges when thermospheric scientists connect their individual research interests. This report is about all of these thermospheric connections.