Characteristics of the Space Environment

An Introduction
Space is vast and its boundaries are beyond imagination. It contains things we haven't even discovered yet but with the development of new technology, who knows what we may find out? What we do know to date are the obvious things like planets, moons, and stars. There are other things though that scientists have discovered but not too much of the general public knows about. As a part of the Young Engineers and Scientists program at SwRI in San Antonio, Texas, here is some information I have learned and discovered about space that most people don't even know exist.

General Space Characteristics Info.

Space and most of the Universe is made up of plasma (see below). In our Solar System, energy from the Sun, solar energy, is also abundant. Hazardous radiation in space can include cosmic radiation, gamma rays and x-rays. People on Earth are protected from these harmful radiations by the Earth's magnetic field, a.k.a. the Magnetosphere (see below). Most of the natural debris in outer space is dust, this dust can be from other planets, asteroids or comets. Asteroids are made of nickel, iron, water, carbon and carbon compounds. Comets move faster in space than asteroids but contain substantial sources of water ice.

Plasma

It is generally known that there are 3 different types of matter; liquids, solids & gases. There is also a 4th state of matter called Plasma. It is what makes up outer space. It is formed by heating and ionizing gas. By freeing the ions and electrons in a gas, you've created plasma. It can conduct electricity and is found naturally on earth in only two things; lighting bolts (which are narrow paths of air molecules and parts of a flame) and the free electrons in metal can also be considered plasma. The character, motion and/or shape of plasma depends on magnetism.

Magnetic Fields and Magnetospheres

Magnetic fields, or magnetism, are produced by the Sun and by the flow of electrically charged ions and electrons. Magnetic fields make loops in the solar atmosphere and interior. Every planet (Pluto-??) has what’s called a magnetosphere, which is basically a planet's internal magnetic field cavity, shaped like a teardrop. They are created by solar winds from the sun, (the area between the Sun and Earth is called the Interplanetary Medium and it is dominated by solar wind). When, for example, Earth's magnetosphere is stretched away from the sun, our planet experiences geomagnetic storms. This causes satellite disturbances, which then can lead to communication problems. Although, there can also be good side effects of geomagnetic storms. You might know them as Auroras. Auroras appear in the polar areas of Earth when energized electrons & ions strike the molecules and atoms of the thin, high atmosphere. That in turn makes them glow different colors.

Energetic Particles

Energetic particles are a type of atomic particles that move through space at high speeds, they are even believed to be a moving at a fraction of the speed of light! This is because everything in space is moving constantly by gravitational fields. These energetic particles can move through matter in space and they can release energetic photons, also called "particles of light". The Radiation Belt is a region in Earth's Magnetosphere where energetic particles are trapped. Cosmic rays are also energetic particles, basically they're a steady drizzle of high-energy ions arriving in our solar system from distant universes. Solar energetic particles are energetic particles too and are occasionally emitted from active areas of the Sun (solar flares and coronal mass ejections)

Picture Resources	Earth's Magnetosphere	Glossary
http://www.infoplease.com http://fisica.usach.cl/fisica/aagroupweb /space_line/ http://www.spacekids.us/auroras.html		In case there are some terms you dont understand, this link will take you to the web site's main glossary Glossary