National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Gsfc Heliophysics Science Division 2008 Science Highlights National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This report is intended to record and communicate to our colleagues, stakeholders, and the public at large about heliophysics scientific and flight program achievements and milestones for 2008, for which NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Heliophysics Science Division (HSD) made important contributions. HSD comprises approximately 261 scientists, technologists, and administrative personnel dedicated to the goal of advancing our knowledge and understanding of the Sun and the wide variety of domains that its variability influences. HSD's Mission is to explore the Sun's interior and atmosphere, discover the origins of its temporal variability, understand its influence over the Earth and the other planets, and determine the nature of the interaction between the heliosphere and the localinterstellar medium. Activities: Lead science investigations involving flight hardware, theory, and data analysis and modeling that will answer the strategic questions posed in the Heliophysics Roadmap; Lead the development of new solar and space physics mission concepts and support their implementation as Project Scientists; Provide access to measurements from the Heliophysics Great Observatory through our Science Information Systems; Communicate science results to the public and inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers. Outcomes: Open the frontier to space environment prediction; Understand the nature of our home in space; Safeguard the journey of exploration.