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OUTCOME 2.2: UNDERSTAND THE SUN AND ITS INTERACTIONS WITH THE EARTH 

AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 

Billions of years ago, at the core of the Sun, a nuclear furnace ignited. The energy the Sun provides, 

radiated almost constantly from its visible surface, is the basis of all advanced life on Earth. The Sun is a 

variable star, and its waxing and waning magnetic activity is the driver of space weather at Earth and 

across the solar system. Earth and the other planets reside in the extended atmosphere of the Sun. This 

extended atmosphere, called the heliosphere, comprises a plasma “soup” of electrified and magnetized 

matter entwined with penetrating radiation and energetic particles. 

NASA’s Heliophysics Division conducts missions that study the Sun, heliosphere, and planetary 

atmospheres as a single interconnected system. By analyzing these interconnections, scientists uncover 

fundamental physical processes that occur throughout the universe. These missions also improve 

capabilities for predicting the impacts of solar variability on human technological systems and 

safeguarding human and robotic space explorers outside the protective cocoon of Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA’s research in heliophysics has improved the understanding of space weather. NASA partners with 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to serve the Nation’s need for reliable space 

weather information. NASA spacecraft, equipped with space weather beacons, provide real-time data to 

NOAA space weather forecasters. NASA cooperates with other agencies to enable new knowledge in this 

area and to measure conditions in space critical to both operations and scientific research.

Providing National Scientific Capabilities for Heliophysics 

NASA continues to develop the Nation’s capabilities in support of these science objectives by funding 

research and mission development performed by scientists and engineers at universities, research 

centers, private sector organizations, and NASA Centers. The vast majority of research awards also 

include funding for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students, thereby 

supporting the education and training of future scientists and engineers.

Programs and activities serving this goal in FY 2012 include:

• Basic technology development in detector systems, plasma physics and materials sciences;

• Suborbital rocket RockSat program; 

• Postdoctoral and early career Earth and Space Science Fellowships, Jack Eddy Heliophysics 

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and the Heliophysics Summer School; 

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers;

• Hands-on Project Experience; and 

• Heliophysics textbook development.

The establishment, operation, and maintenance of necessary facilities is critical to the Nation’s 

scientific capabilities. In FY 2012, NASA provided:

• Mission operations, basic data analysis, and resources for the operation centers for the 
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M&P-75

Voyager, IBEX, Geotail, Cluster, RHESSI, TIMED, AIM, STEREO, THEMIS, ARTEMIS, 

Hinode, SDO, TWINS, CINDI, Wind, ACE, SOHO, and Van Allen Probes missions; 

• Data archives that capture all NASA heliophysics data and provide open access to the science 

community and the public: the Solar Data Analysis Center, Joint Science Operations Center, 

Virtual Observatories, Heliophysics Data Environment Enhancements, and the Space Physics 

Data Facility, the integrated Space Weather Analysis system (iSWA) that captures and makes 

publically available NASA/Heliophysics real-time data;

• Operation of the Nation’s scientific suborbital sounding rocket facilities; and 

• Support for the Community Coordinated Modeling Center for the testing, verification, and 

validation of the latest heliophysics models.

NASA requires that all funded research investigations publish their results in open, peer reviewed 

science literature, ensuring that data and knowledge are captured. Each year, the Heliophysics 

Subcommittee of NASA’s external advisory Science Committee evaluates the progress made by NASA 

toward each science objective. In FY 2012, the subcommittee found that expectations had been fully 

met by research results that included those discussed below.

Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.1.1: Provide national scientific capabilities through necessary 

skilled researchers and supporting knowledge base. (In support of objective 2.2.1: "Improve 

understanding of the fundamental physical processes of the space environment from the Sun to 

Earth, to other planets, and beyond to the interstellar medium.")

FY11 During FY 2012, NASA supported the development of the Nation’s scientific capabilities in 

this heliophysics science area through many efforts, including early career fellowships, low 

cost access to space suborbital rockets, and the data and modeling centers. 

Voyager and IBEX Probe the Heliosphere’s Interaction with the Local Interstellar 

Medium

As the Sun moves through the local interstellar medium, the solar wind carves out a cavity 

known as the heliosphere that protects Earth from harmful galactic cosmic radiation. The 

Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) measures energetic neutral atoms created by the 

interaction between interstellar neutral gas and energetic protons near the edge of the solar 

system, as well as the interstellar neutral gas that flows directly into the inner solar system. 

Simultaneously, the Voyager spacecraft provide direct measurements of particles, plasmas, 

and magnetic fields in the heliosheath, the boundary region between the heliosphere and the 

interstellar medium. IBEX has measured the speed of the Sun through the local interstellar 

medium much more precisely than before. The Sun moves at 52,000 miles per hour, roughly 

7,000 miles per hour slower and in a somewhat different direction than previously thought. 

These observations also show that oxygen is roughly half as abundant in the local 

interstellar medium as in the solar system, which suggests that either large amounts of 

oxygen atoms are embedded in interstellar dust grains or Earth’s solar system was born 

outside the local interstellar cloud. At this speed, the Sun and heliosphere create a bow wave 

rather than a bow shock in the interstellar medium. 

In the meantime, the Voyager 1 spacecraft entered a new, unexplored region between the 

solar system and interstellar space in which the solar wind has slowed down to be 

Green

FY12

Green
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essentially stagnant, the solar system's magnetic field is piled up, and higher-energy 

particles from inside the solar system appear to be leaking out into interstellar space. This 

lends further credence to the notion that the Sun's distant magnetic field may consist of 

bubbles approximately 100 million miles wide that are somehow disconnected from the 

Sun’s magnetic field. These new observations have forced a re-examination of scientists’ 

understanding of the location and nature of the heliosphere’s interaction with the galactic 

environment, which will lead to better understanding of how galactic cosmic rays enter and 

penetrate deep into the solar system. (Read more about this story.) 

Long-Term Changes and Trends in Earth’s Atmosphere and Ionosphere

NASA researchers, in cooperation with the international scientific community, reviewed 

long-duration records of the upper atmosphere. They used data from the NASA 

Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, along 

with ground-based Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receivers, radars, and lidars, to 

identify long-term trends in the temperature, composition and density of Earth's upper 

atmosphere between about 50 and 500 kilometers above the ground. More than 20 years 

ago, researchers predicted that global cooling would occur in the upper atmosphere. This 

cooling trend and an associated contraction of Earth’s upper atmosphere were finally 

confirmed with this set of correlative observations. The increasing concentration of 

greenhouse gases, along with other processes such as stratospheric ozone depletion, Earth’s 

slowly changing magnetic field, and drifting weather patterns, all exhibit long-term changes 

in addition to those due to solar activity. Researchers are now quantifying and 

understanding changes occurring at all altitudes within Earth’s coupled atmospheric system, 

including those regions extending into the near space environment. (Read more on this 

story.)

Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-1: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding the fundamental physical processes of 

the space environment from the Sun to Earth, to other planets, and beyond to the interstellar 

medium. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be evaluated by 

external expert review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Multiple Programs

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS13 8HE01 9HE1 10HE01 HE-11-1 HE-12-1 

Green Green Green Green Green Green
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Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update

HE-13-1: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding the fundamental physical processes 

of the space environment from the Sun to Earth, to other planets, and beyond to the interstellar 

medium. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be evaluated by 

external expert review.

FY14

HE-14-1: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding the fundamental physical processes 

of the space environment from the Sun to Earth, to other planets, and beyond to the interstellar 

medium. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be evaluated by 

external expert review.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS14

Yellow

8HE06

Green None None None None

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-2: Achieve mission success criteria for the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

FY14 No annual performance goal in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12 or trended performance.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing 

Program(s): Living with a Star

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 HE-14-2: Achieve mission success criteria for Van Allen Probes Mission.

Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.1.2: By 2015, launch two missions in support of objective 2.2.1.

FY11 The purpose of this performance goal is to design, develop, and launch satellites in support 

Green of objective 2.2.1, as outlined in the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s 2010 Science 

FY12 Plan. The launch of these missions will provide not only critical new knowledge, but will 

also broaden the distribution and capabilities of observation posts that are needed to study 

the full range of Sun-solar system connections. This combination of new heliophysics 

knowledge and a well-supported constellation of operating missions can facilitate the path 

Green

towards an operational capability to predict space weather.

NASA launched the first mission in support of this performance goal, the two-spacecraft 

Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), on August 30, 2012. Following on-orbit checkout, the 

mission was renamed the Van Allen Probes. The mission will observe the fundamental 

processes that energize and transport radiation belt electrons and ions in Earth’s inner 

magnetosphere, the area in and around Earth’s radiation belts. These observations will 
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provide new knowledge on the dynamics and extremes of the radiation belts that are 

important to all technological systems that fly in and through geospace. 

NASA plans to launch the second mission, Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) by 2015. 

The MMS mission will use Earth’s magnetosphere as a laboratory to study the microphysics 

of magnetic reconnection, a fundamental plasma-physical process that converts magnetic 

energy into heat and the kinetic energy of charged particles. On August 30, NASA 

completed the MMS System Integration Review, giving the project the go-ahead to integrate 

the systems into the spacecraft bus for testing and keeping this performance goal on track 

for completion by 2015. A subsequent review gave MMS approval to proceed into 

assembly, integration, and testing.

Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-2: Complete the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Systems Integration Review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Solar Terrestrial Probes

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS15

Red

8HE02

Green

9HE2

Green

10HE02

Green

HE-11-2 

Green

HE-12-2 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-3: Complete integration of the payload to the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) 

satellite #1 (of four).

FY14 HE-14-3: Complete Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Observatory #4 Environmental Test.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-3: Complete the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Readiness Review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS16

Green

8HE04

Green

9HE3

Green

10HE03

Green

HE-11-3 

Green

HE-12-3 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 No annual performance goal in FY14.

Comments

NASA successfully launched the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft, now 

called the Van Allen Probes, on August 30, 2012. The Van Allen Probes will contribute 

scientific data in support of performance goals 2.2.1.1 and 2.2.2.1 through FY 2014, when it 

will conclude its prime mission. At that time NASA will evaluate whether the Van Allen 

Probes achieved its mission success criteria.
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Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.2.1: Provide national scientific capabilities through necessary 

skilled researchers and supporting knowledge base. (In support of objective 2.2.2: "Improve 

understanding of how human society, technological systems, and the habitability of planets are 

affected by solar variability interacting with planetary magnetic fields and atmospheres.")

FY11 During FY 2012, NASA supported the development of the Nation’s scientific capabilities in 

this heliophysics science area through many efforts, including early career fellowships, 

Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology Programs, and the Community 

Coordinated Modeling Center, a facility that is open for researchers to provide the latest 

Heliophysics models for testing, verification and validation.

Discovery of Energetic Late-Phase Emissions from Solar Flares and Their Impact on 

Earth’s Upper Atmosphere

Solar flares are intense bursts of highly energetic radiation caused by the release of 

magnetic energy associated with sunspot regions. When the energy from eruptive flares, the 

largest explosive events in the solar system, impacts Earth’s atmosphere, it alters the 

atmospheric structure, which in turn can affect the efficient operation of Earth-orbiting 

communication and navigation satellites. In particular, the energetic ultraviolet to X-ray 

emission from flares adds additional heat to Earth’s upper atmosphere. Solar flares continue 

to surprise: observations by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Reuven 

Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) revealed that a substantial 

fraction (about 15 percent) of flares have a pronounced "late phase” that can pump more 

than 40 percent of the total energy out into space than previously realized. The 

Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission 

measured the impact of a powerful solar flare in March 2012, also measured by SDO, on 

Earth’s upper atmosphere. In direct response to the energy input from the flare, the upper 

atmosphere was observed to heat up, resulting in increased infrared emission by molecules 

including nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. These unique Heliophysics System Observatory 

observations demonstrate the substantial sensitivity of Earth's atmosphere to short- and 

long-term variability of the Sun. (Read more about the SDO and RHESSI research and the 

TIMED research.) 

Imaging Magnetospheric Dynamics Tracks the Impact of Solar Disturbances 

Imaging the rarified plasmas and magnetic fields of Earth’s magnetosphere has long eluded 

scientists. The absence of global images has made the large-scale dynamics of the region 

much more difficult to unravel and understand. Recently two spacecraft within the 

Heliophysics System Observatory have turned their high-resolution cameras on the 

magnetosphere and directly observed its complex flows. The cameras on the Two WideAngle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers (TWINS) and IBEX both detect energetic 

neutral atoms (ENAs) rather than light. ENAs are created when fast moving protons hit 

neutral atoms. The two spacecraft observed the magnetosphere from different perspectives, 

providing a comprehensive stereo view during the April 5, 2010, geomagnetic disturbance. 

From outside, IBEX showed that the magnetosphere was immediately compressed by the 

impact of an interplanetary shock wave. About 15 minutes later, one of the TWINS 

spacecraft located inside the magnetosphere observed energetic particles trapped in the ring 

current, an electric current that appears 20,000 miles above the surface of Earth during 

geomagnetic disturbances. These new observations provide a new global perspective and 

highlight the importance of ENAs for remotely observing the impacts of interplanetary 

disturbances on Earth’s magnetosphere. (Read more about this story.) 

Green

FY12

Green
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Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-4: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding how human society, technological 

systems, and the habitability of planets are affected by solar variability interacting with 

planetary magnetic fields and atmospheres. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 

Science Plan will be evaluated by external expert review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Multiple Programs

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS19

Green

8HE03

Green

9HE6

Green

10HE06

Green

HE-11-4 

Green

HE-12-4 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update

HE-13-4: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding how human society, technological 

systems, and the habitability of planets are affected by solar variability interacting with 

planetary magnetic fields and atmospheres. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 

Science Plan will be evaluated by external expert review.

FY14

HE-14-4: Demonstrate planned progress in understanding how human society, technological 

systems, and the habitability of planets are affected by solar variability interacting with 

planetary magnetic fields and atmospheres. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 

Science Plan will be evaluated by external expert review.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS14

Yellow

8HE06

Green None None None None

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-2: Achieve mission success criteria for the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

FY14 No annual performance goal in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12 or trended performance.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing 

Program(s): Living with a Star
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PERFORMANCE REPORTING AND PLANNING

M&P-81

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 HE-14-2: Achieve mission success criteria for Van Allen Probes Mission.

Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.2.2: By 2015, launch two missions in support of objective 2.2.2.

FY11 The purpose of this performance goal is to design, develop, and launch satellites in support 

Green of objective 2.2.1, as outlined in the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s 2010 Science 

FY12 Plan. The launch of these missions will provide not only critical new knowledge but will 

also broaden the distribution and capabilities of observation posts that are needed to study 

the full range of Sun-solar system connections. This combination of new heliophysics 

knowledge and a well-supported constellation of operating missions can facilitate the path 

Green

towards an operational capability to predict space weather.

NASA launched the first mission in support of this performance goal, the two-spacecraft 

Van Allen Probes. NASA plans to launch the second mission, MMS, by 2015.

Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-2: Complete the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Systems Integration Review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Solar Terrestrial Probes

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS15

Red

8HE02

Green

9HE2

Green

10HE02

Green

HE-11-2 

Green

HE-12-2 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-3: Complete integration of the payload to the 

satellite #1 (of four).

Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) 

FY14 HE-14-3: Complete Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Observatory #4 Environmental Test.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-3: Complete the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Readiness Review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS16 8HE04 9HE3 10HE03 HE-11-3 HE-12-3 

Green Green Green Green Green Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 No annual performance goal in FY14.
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NASA successfully launched the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft, now 

called the Van Allen Probes, on August 30, 2012. The Van Allen Probes will contribute 

Comments scientific data in support of performance goals 2.2.1.1 and 2.2.2.1 through FY 2014, when it 

will conclude its prime mission. At that time NASA will evaluate whether the Van Allen 

Probes achieved its mission success criteria.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12 or trended performance.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing 

Program(s): Living with a Star

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-6: Complete the Solar Orbiter Collaboration Mission Confirmation Review.

FY14 HE-14-5: Complete Solar Orbiter Collaboration Heavy Ion Sensor (HIS) Instrument 

Critical Design Review.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

None None None 10HE04

Green None None

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 HE-14-6: Complete Solar Probe Plus Preliminary Design Review.

Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.3.1: Provide national scientific capabilities through necessary 

skilled researchers and supporting knowledge base. (In support of objective 2.2.3: "Maximize the 

safety and productivity of human and robotic explorers by developing the capability to predict 

extreme and dynamic conditions in space.")

FY11 During FY 2012, NASA supported the development of the Nation’s scientific capabilities in 

Green this heliophysics science area through many efforts, including early career fellowships, 

FY12 Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology Programs, and the integrated Space 

Weather Analysis system that captures and makes publically available NASA/Heliophysics Green real-time data.

New Observations Enable Advanced Detection of Sunspots Beneath the Sun’s Surface 

Long visible to the (protected) human eye as dark blemishes on the solar disk, sunspot 

regions are the birthplaces of massive, highly energetic solar explosions (flares and coronal 

mass ejections). When these eruptions reach Earth, they can generate beautiful aurorae but 

also can wreak havoc on satellites, communications, and electric power grids. A key goal of 

the Heliophysics program is to reliably predict the occurrence and strength of these 
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eruptions, long before they reach our vulnerable planet. For longer-term forecasting, 

scientists must reliably detect sunspot regions well before they emerge onto the surface from 

deep within the Sun. Scientists know that sunspot regions are planet-sized bundles of strong, 

twisted magnetic field that rise like bubbles until they breach the solar surface, but until 

recently they could not predict when or where they would appear. Exciting new research 

with instruments onboard two NASA spacecraft, the long-serving Solar and Heliospheric 

Observatory (SOHO) and the newer SDO, has detected sunspot regions while they are still 

submerged and invisible to ordinary telescopes. The analysis technique, called "timedistance helioseismology," is similar to an approach widely used in earthquake studies. Just 

as seismic waves traveling through Earth reveal the inner workings of Earth, sound waves 

traveling through the Sun can reveal what is inside the star. Submerged magnetic-field 

bundles affect the Sun's inner acoustics in ways that can now be calculated, revealing the 

presence of hidden sunspot regions just as the medical sciences use ultrasound scans. This 

revolutionary technique is most sensitive to large sunspot regions when they are located 

about 60,000 kilometers (nearly five times Earth’s diameter) beneath the Sun’s surface, 

providing up to two days’ advance notice that a strong magnetic field is about to emerge. 

Because larger sunspot regions are more likely to produce the most powerful solar 

explosions, this research holds great promise for enabling adverse space weather to be 

forecast in time to mitigate or prevent harmful effects, days before the explosions will 

actually occur. (Read more about this story.)

Unraveling the Mystery of Disappearing Radiation Belt Electrons 

The content of very high-energy electrons that populate the Van Allen Radiation Belts 

regularly increases and decreases due to changes in the solar wind. Understanding how 

charged particles leave the belts is critical to developing accurate models that will predict 

hazards to spacecraft and astronauts. Dramatic dropouts in the Van Allen belts’ content can 

occur at various times during magnetic storms, in some cases when electrons, pushed by 

waves, rain on the atmosphere. A team of researchers has now unraveled another major 

cause of electron dropouts. Using measurements from a network of satellites passing 

through the radiation belts (the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during 

Substorms (THEMIS) satellite and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 

(GOES) probes in equatorial orbit and the Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES)

in low-altitude polar orbit) the team showed that, at the onset of a geomagnetic storm, the 

majority of lost electrons are swept out into interplanetary space instead of raining into the 

atmosphere. (Read more about this story.)

Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.
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M&P-84

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-5: Demonstrate planned progress in maximizing the safety and productivity of human and 

robotic explorers by developing the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic conditions in 

space. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be evaluated by 

external expert review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Multiple Programs

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS20

Green

8HE05

Green

9HE8

Green

10HE08

Green

HE-11-5 

Green

HE-12-5 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update

HE-13-5: Demonstrate planned progress in maximizing the safety and productivity of human 

and robotic explorers by developing the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic 

conditions in space. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be 

evaluated by external expert review.

FY14

HE-14-7: Demonstrate planned progress in maximizing the safety and productivity of human 

and robotic explorers by developing the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic 

conditions in space. Progress relative to the objectives in NASA's 2010 Science Plan will be 

evaluated by external expert review.

Reported Multi-Year Performance 

Multi-Year Performance Goal 2.2.3.2: By 2017, launch at least two missions in support of objective 

2.2.3.

FY11 The purpose of this performance goal is to design, develop, and launch satellites in support 

of objective 2.2.1, as outlined in the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s 2010 Science 

Plan. The launch of these missions will provide not only critical new knowledge but will 

also broaden the distribution and capabilities of observation posts that are needed to study 

the full range of Sun-solar system connections. This combination of new heliophysics 

knowledge and a well-supported constellation of operating missions can facilitate the path 

towards an operational capability to predict space weather. 

NASA launched the first mission in support of this performance goal, the two-spacecraft 

Radiation Belt Storm Probes, on August 30, 2012. NASA renamed the mission Van Allen 

Probes once the spacecraft were on orbit and operational. 

The second mission, Solar Orbiter, a collaborative mission with the European Space 

Agency, is planned for launch in 2017, and will venture closer to the Sun than any previous 

mission. Solar Orbiter will explore the near-Sun environment to improve the understanding 

of the origins of the solar wind streams and the heliospheric magnetic field, the sources, 

acceleration mechanisms, and transport processes of solar energetic particles, and the 

evolution of coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere. The mission will provide better 

insight into the evolution of sunspots, active regions, coronal holes, and other solar features 

and phenomena.

Green

FY12

Green
Management and Performance 

PERFORMANCE REPORTING AND PLANNING

M&P-85

Update to Multi-Year Performance Goal

FY13 Update This performance goal remains the same in FY13.

FY14 This performance goal remains the same in FY14.

Reported Annual Performance

HE-12-3: Complete the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Readiness Review.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

7ESS16

Green

8HE04

Green

9HE3

Green

10HE03

Green

HE-11-3 

Green

HE-12-3 

Green

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 No annual performance goal in FY14.

Comments

NASA successfully launched the Geospace Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft, now 

called the Van Allen Probes, on August 30, 2012. The Van Allen Probes will contribute 

scientific data in support of performance goals 2.2.1.1 and 2.2.2.1 through FY 2014, when it 

will conclude its prime mission. At that time NASA will evaluate whether the Van Allen 

Probes achieved its mission success criteria.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12 or trended performance.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing 

Program(s): Living with a Star

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update HE-13-6: Complete the Solar Orbiter Collaboration Mission Confirmation Review.

FY14 HE-14-5: Complete Solar Orbiter Collaboration Heavy Ion Sensor (HIS) Instrument 

Critical Design Review.

Reported Annual Performance

No annual performance goal in FY12.

Contributing Theme: Heliophysics

Contributing Program(s): Living with a Star

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

None None None 10HE04

Green None None

Planned Annual Performance

FY13 Update No annual performance goal in FY13.

FY14 HE-14-6: Complete Solar Probe Plus Preliminary Design Review.