Physics and Astronomy

Interactions between Earth and the sun's magnetic fields cause "space weather" which can cause problems with our electrical infrastructure. The University of Iowa is leading NASA's TRACERS mission that is studying this occurrence. On Iowa Public Radio's River to River program, host Ben Kieffer speaks with David Miles, the principal investigator on the project.

In summer 2017, University of Iowa physicist Craig Kletzing learned NASA was giving him an initial $1.25 million to flesh out a proposal to study how solar winds interact with Earth’s magnetic fields — in hopes of better understanding space weather, including to what extent it might affect satellites and other aspects of everyday life. Seven years later — after securing an additional $115 million from NASA to pursue the project in full, navigating delays through the pandemic and losing its leader in Professor Kletzing’s unexpected passing — the groundbreaking mission is nearing launch.

In just over five months, the University of Iowa will be launching its TRACERS mission which currently stands as the largest grant ever awarded to the university.