Spaceship Earth is an 11-station multi-national network of neutron monitors optimized to measure the angular distribution of relativistic solar cosmic rays arriving at Earth. The countries involved include the United States, Russia, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, and Thailand. Spaceship Earth also measures transient anisotropies of galactic cosmic rays associated with passing solar wind disturbances. This proposal will fund the continued operation of neutron monitors operated by the University of Delaware's Bartol Research Institute that are part of Spaceship Earth.
This work will advance our understanding of the acceleration and transport of solar energetic particles, and of the transient and long-term modulation of galactic cosmic rays by the Sun. The effort will also investigate technical issues related to ground-based detection of cosmic radiation, with the aim of improving the technology and capabilities of neutron monitors. The modeling of the transport of radiation through matter has practical applications for the study of radiation hazards for pilots, aircrews, and astronauts, and in geological dating of landforms from cosmogenic isotopes. The proposed work on transient modulations also has applications to space weather forecasting and specification. The Spaceship Earth web site includes a number of educational outreach features intended for the general public. The project will build new international partnerships and strengthen existing ones, in order to collect and analyze the required data.
