What is a RBSP?

Definition. RBSP. River Basin Specific Pollutant. RBSP. Raw Byte Sequence Payload (digital television)

Why are there two Van Allen Probes?

The two probes had to operate in the harsh conditions they were studying; while other satellites have the luxury of turning off or protecting themselves in the middle of intense space weather, the Van Allen Probes had to continue to collect data.

What did the Van Allen Probes do?

Nine years ago this week, NASA’s Van Allen Probes launched on a mission to fly through and study Earth’s ring current and radiation belts — rings of charged particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field.

What did Van Allen a do?

Van Allen, in full James Alfred Van Allen, (born Sept. 7, 1914, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, U.S.—died Aug. 9, 2006, Iowa City, Iowa), American physicist, whose discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts, two zones of radiation encircling Earth, brought about new understanding of cosmic radiation and its effects on Earth.

When was Van Allen a launched?

August 30, 2012
Van Allen Probes/Fly dates

How did NASA get past the Van Allen Belts?

Scientists suggested that a moderate amount of protection could shield a crew from the outer Van Allen belt particles. In 1962, Van Allen – believing that protons of the inner belt could seriously threaten human spaceflight missions – suggested clearing them away by setting a nuclear bomb off near the outer belt.

Can astronauts pass through the Van Allen Belt?

Answer Key: Apollo astronauts, and astronauts in the upcoming visits to the Moon, will have to travel through some of these belt regions because the orbit of the Moon lies along the fastest line-of-travel from Earth.

Can astronauts pass the Van Allen Belt?

NASA’s Van Allen Probes orbit through two giant radiation belts that surround Earth. Even if the innermost belt is at its closest, the ISS (and the space shuttle in its day) are more than 100 miles away from the Van Allen Belts. For near-Earth missions, the Van Allen belts are not a hazard to spacefarers.

Who built the RBSP spacecraft?

The APL team built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the two-year mission for NASA. The discovery of the radiation belts dates back to the dawn of the space age.

What is the RBSP mission?

The RBSP mission is part of NASA’s Living with a Star program, which is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The APL team built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the two-year mission for NASA. The discovery of the radiation belts dates back to the dawn of the space age.

How did the space probes get their names?

The probes are named after James Van Allen, the discoverer of the radiation belts they studied. Probes launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 30 August 2012.

Why did NASA send the Van Allen Probes?

NASA conducted the Van Allen Probes mission as part of the Living With a Star program. Understanding the radiation belt environment and its variability has practical applications in the areas of spacecraft operations, spacecraft system design, mission planning and astronaut safety.