back to article Wham! NASA claims 'picture-perfect' blast-off for tricky MAGNETIC EXPLOSIONS mission

NASA boffins crowed that the U.S. space agency had successfully launched its four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft into Earth's orbit on Friday. The mission, the first of its kind, involves studying the so-called magnetic reconnection phenomenon that is understood to cause powerful explosions in our solar system. It …

  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields connect, disconnect, and reconfigure explosively, releasing bursts of energy that can reach the order of billions of megatons of trinitrotoluene

    Can anyone explain this? It is nice to say "magnetic fields disconnect" but this does not evoke anything of substance - magnetic field lines are always closed loops around electric currents. So should NASA rather be talking about the dual, currents in space (born by ion streams I imagine) that snake around wildly? And where do these billions of megatons go? I suppose, radio waves?

    Researchers theorize that the principles of magnetic reconnection and the energy release they generate are a significant force throughout the universe including the acceleration of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.

    Not in this solar system. Near supernovas and neutron stars, more like. And possibly inside cloistered chambers inhabited by politicians.

    1. Mark 85

      I thought what you did until I did some reading... apparently, this is to study this on a small scale (our sun and earth). Here's a reasonably good starting point as other articles are way over my head and I'm not feeling up to climbing that high today.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetospheric_Multiscale_Mission

      1. Chris G

        ??

        The Wiki article actually explains zero about the physics in question, written by a relatively non-technical bod I should think.

        Looks like my task for today is a bit of light(?) reading on magnetic disconnection and reconnection.

        And there I was thinking of opening a bottle of Ribera del Duero and cooking Pasta con rucola and Parmigiano Reggiano for lunch since the wife is away, now I'll have to leave the Ribera 'til later.

        1. Hans 1
          Thumb Up

          Re: ??

          If you could fix the wikipedia article once you are done, we would all greatly appreciate.

  2. baseh

    NASA PR

    NASA sends hyperbolic announcements on near-Earth parabolic spacecrafts

  3. frank ly

    Shapes

    "The four octagonal disc-shaped spacecraft – working as a science lab – are now said to be flying in a loose, pyramid formation"

    It ought to be called a tetrahedron formation (or a triangular pyramid).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shapes

      "It ought to be called a tetrahedron formation (or a triangular pyramid)."

      Either way, surely you'd always have a pyramid (loose or otherwise) from four points if they're not aligned on a plane? Sounds like they're trying to make it sound like it was planned (or just padding out the press release).

      1. frank ly

        Re: Shapes

        I suggest that we call it a 'teabagging' formation to avoid geometry arguments.

    2. Annihilator

      Re: Shapes

      "It ought to be called a tetrahedron formation (or a triangular pyramid)."

      It's still a pyramid. A geometric pyramid, even though we generally take it to mean a square pyramid, can have any polygon base.

  4. fearnothing

    "The four octagonal disc-shaped spacecraft..." Aaaaaaaaugh! Thargoids!

  5. Jock in a Frock

    +1 for Elite Dangerous reference

    1. fearnothing

      Actually the BBC Master System version, thank you very much. So much so that the controls are still as natural to me as wsad. E:D didn't do it for me.

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