Radio Solar Telescope Network
Encyclopedia
The Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) is a network of solar observatories maintained and operated by the U.S.Air Force Weather Agency
. The RSTN consists of ground-based observatories in Australia
, Italy
, Massachusetts
, New Mexico
and Hawaii
.
events might interfere with the stated U.S. objective of a manned mission to the moon. In particular, the sun emits continuous electromagnetic energy and electrically charged particles, which can cause disturbances in the near-Earth environment and disrupt satellite communications.
Foremost among these concerns was the possibility of a geomagnetic storm
of solar origin. Metric Type II radio bursts, signatures of coronal shock waves or coronal mass ejections, were known to be commonly associated with solar flares. The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) was thus assigned the task of developing and validating a network of ground-based solar observatories. AFRL established a world-wide network of sweep frequency recorders from which estimates of the shock speed in the corona could be made. This network, called the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), uses a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 85 MHz. The prototype was assembled and operated at the Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory during the early 1960s. The Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory began operating solar patrols in 1966. The Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL, currently Phillips Lab) transferred operation of the observatory to Detachment 2 of the 2nd Weather Group
of the Air Force Weather Agency
in October 1978. However, Phillips Lab continues to work in an advisory capacity to the observatory.
The RSTN is complemented in its real-time capability by a radio telescope
operated from 25 MHz (the ionospheric cutoff) to 1800 MHz by the Ionospheric Prediction Service in Culgoora, Australia. The USAF/RSTN system is currently being upgraded in frequency to a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 180 MHz by the Solar Radio Spectrometer (SRS) system at Palehua, Hawaii; San Vito dei Normanni
, Italy; Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts; and RAAF Learmonth
, Western Australia
. The Sagamore Hill site is scheduled to be moved in the future to Holloman AFB, New Mexico.
The mission of the solar observatories of the RSTN is to monitor solar flare
s, noise storms and other releases of energy from the sun, and when necessary, notify military and civilian personnel concerned with space, weather, power and communications in countries throughout the world. The observatories are operated by detachments of the 2nd Weather Group
, as follows:
The USAF/RSTN system is currently being upgraded in frequency to a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 180 MHz by the Solar Radio Spectrometer (SRS) system at Palehua, Hawaii; San Vito dei Normanni
, Italy
; Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts; and RAAF Learmonth
, Western Australia
. The RSTN is complemented in its real-time capability by a radio telescope
operated from 25 MHz (the ionospheric cutoff) to 1800 MHz by the Ionospheric Prediction Service at the Paul Wild Observatory
in Culgoora, New South Wales, Australia
. The Sagamore Hill site is scheduled to be moved in the future to Holloman AFB, New Mexico
.
Air Force Weather Agency
The Air Force Weather Agency is a Field Operating Agency and the lead military meteorology center of the United States Air Force...
. The RSTN consists of ground-based observatories in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
History
It became apparent in the early 1960s that certain space weatherSpace weather
Space weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space or thespace from the Sun's atmosphere to the Earth's atmosphere. It is distinct from the concept ofweather within the Earth's planetary atmosphere...
events might interfere with the stated U.S. objective of a manned mission to the moon. In particular, the sun emits continuous electromagnetic energy and electrically charged particles, which can cause disturbances in the near-Earth environment and disrupt satellite communications.
Foremost among these concerns was the possibility of a geomagnetic storm
Geomagnetic storm
A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a disturbance in the interplanetary medium. A geomagnetic storm is a major component of space weather and provides the input for many other components of space weather...
of solar origin. Metric Type II radio bursts, signatures of coronal shock waves or coronal mass ejections, were known to be commonly associated with solar flares. The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) was thus assigned the task of developing and validating a network of ground-based solar observatories. AFRL established a world-wide network of sweep frequency recorders from which estimates of the shock speed in the corona could be made. This network, called the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), uses a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 85 MHz. The prototype was assembled and operated at the Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory during the early 1960s. The Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory began operating solar patrols in 1966. The Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL, currently Phillips Lab) transferred operation of the observatory to Detachment 2 of the 2nd Weather Group
2nd Weather Group
The 2nd Weather Group, located at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., delivers timely, relevant and specialized terrestrial, space and climatological global environmental intelligence to Joint warfighters, the United States Department of Defense, US Government agencies and nations allied with the United...
of the Air Force Weather Agency
Air Force Weather Agency
The Air Force Weather Agency is a Field Operating Agency and the lead military meteorology center of the United States Air Force...
in October 1978. However, Phillips Lab continues to work in an advisory capacity to the observatory.
The RSTN is complemented in its real-time capability by a radio telescope
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
operated from 25 MHz (the ionospheric cutoff) to 1800 MHz by the Ionospheric Prediction Service in Culgoora, Australia. The USAF/RSTN system is currently being upgraded in frequency to a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 180 MHz by the Solar Radio Spectrometer (SRS) system at Palehua, Hawaii; San Vito dei Normanni
San Vito dei Normanni
San Vito dei Normanni is an Italian town of 19,947 inhabitants of the province of Brindisi in Puglia. The inhabitants are called Sanvitesi and the town is sometimes referred to as San Vito....
, Italy; Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts; and RAAF Learmonth
RAAF Learmonth
RAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and civil airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. As an RAAF base, Learmonth is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases'...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The Sagamore Hill site is scheduled to be moved in the future to Holloman AFB, New Mexico.
The mission of the solar observatories of the RSTN is to monitor solar flare
Solar flare
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy . The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day...
s, noise storms and other releases of energy from the sun, and when necessary, notify military and civilian personnel concerned with space, weather, power and communications in countries throughout the world. The observatories are operated by detachments of the 2nd Weather Group
2nd Weather Group
The 2nd Weather Group, located at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., delivers timely, relevant and specialized terrestrial, space and climatological global environmental intelligence to Joint warfighters, the United States Department of Defense, US Government agencies and nations allied with the United...
, as follows:
- Det. 1, RAAF LearmonthRAAF LearmonthRAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and civil airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. As an RAAF base, Learmonth is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases'...
, WA, Australia - Det. 2, Sagamore Hill Radio ObservatorySagamore Hill Radio Observatory- Location :Sagamore Hill, Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA The Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory is a ground-based solar radio telescope observatory located in Hamilton, Massachusetts that operates on a daily basis to obtain scientific observations of the sun. It is a functional component of the...
, Hamilton, MassachusettsHamilton, MassachusettsHamilton is a town located in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. It is primarily a suburban bedroom community, most commonly known for its equestrian estates...
, USA - Det. 4, Holloman AFB, New Mexico, USA
- Det. 5, Palehua, Hawaii, USA
- Det. 6, San Vito Solar Observatory, San Vito dei NormanniSan Vito dei NormanniSan Vito dei Normanni is an Italian town of 19,947 inhabitants of the province of Brindisi in Puglia. The inhabitants are called Sanvitesi and the town is sometimes referred to as San Vito....
, Italy
The USAF/RSTN system is currently being upgraded in frequency to a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 180 MHz by the Solar Radio Spectrometer (SRS) system at Palehua, Hawaii; San Vito dei Normanni
San Vito dei Normanni
San Vito dei Normanni is an Italian town of 19,947 inhabitants of the province of Brindisi in Puglia. The inhabitants are called Sanvitesi and the town is sometimes referred to as San Vito....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts; and RAAF Learmonth
RAAF Learmonth
RAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and civil airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. As an RAAF base, Learmonth is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases'...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The RSTN is complemented in its real-time capability by a radio telescope
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
operated from 25 MHz (the ionospheric cutoff) to 1800 MHz by the Ionospheric Prediction Service at the Paul Wild Observatory
Paul Wild Observatory
A number of major astronomical facilities are located at the Paul Wild Observatory near Narrabri, Australia, including:* The Australia Telescope Compact Array radio telescope...
in Culgoora, New South Wales, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Sagamore Hill site is scheduled to be moved in the future to Holloman AFB, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.