| ABSTRACT
Los Alamos launched its first satellite in October 1963 and inaugurated an amazing series of scientific and national security space experiments. Los Alamos has been involved in more than 200 launches, a record that few institutions in the world can match. This presentation provides and overview of the history, science, applications, and current efforts and opportunities at Los Alamos. Virtually every area of space research has been explored by Los Alamos: solar physics, astrophysics, planetary science, magnetospheric science, Earth science, space weather, and ionospheric science. Many fundamental discoveries were made including gamma-ray bursts, x-ray bursts, heavy ions in the solar wind, the plasma sheet, water on mars and the moon, trans-ionospheric pulse pairs from lightning, an atmosphere above Saturn’s rings, maps of the boundary between the solar system and interplanetary space, and many others. Many of the technologies are dual use with a very close coupling to national security. The many unique observations made by Los Alamos’s space experiments have driven extensive theoretical work. | |