Scientific Colloquium
March 1, 2013


"Magnetic Reconnection - What is NASA's MMS for Anyway?"

Magnetic reconnection is a fascinating physical process that underlies explosive energy release in many naturally occurring settings in space and beyond.  This includes solar flares and explosive events in the Earth's magnetosphere.  At this very moment, scientists and engineers at NASA-Goddard are working hard to design and build satellites for the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) Mission.  The primary objective of the MMS Mission is to understand magnetic reconnection.  But what is reconnection, and why is understanding it so important?  This talk will answer these questions.  It will begin with a gentle introduction to magnetic reconnection.  The importance of reconnection to the study of space weather, which attempts to predict when eruptions on the Sun can cause damage to Earth's technological infrastructure such as satellite communication and power grids, will be discussed.  Finally, open questions about reconnection will be outlined, including how the MMS Mission will help solve them.  
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