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<<music throughout>> Up past the clouds, past the stratosphere, and even farther

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some 60 to 600 miles above Earth

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our atmosphere slowly gives way to space.

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This region, the ionosphere, is home to the aurora, but it is also

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increasingly a key part of the human domain.

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It houses not only astronauts, but radio signals used to guide airplanes,

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and ships, and many satellites, and yet

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the ionosphere is not well understood.

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To explore this area of near Earth space, NASA and UC Berekley 

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built the ionospheric connection explorer, or ICON.

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ICON's task is to help us understand just what causes

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the constant changes we see in the ionosphere. The more we understand

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the more we can protect our assets in space.

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From a position close to Earth, ICON samples variations in the ionosphere

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over the course of hours days and seasons.

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The mission will investigate how the ionosphere reacts to our planet's weather, rising up

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from below, as well as space weather from above.

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A key set of the mission's observations focus on the most eye catching

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phenomena visible in the ionosphere: air glow.

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Colorful bands of plasma caused by solar radiation.

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ICON will use specialized technology to track how this plasma

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is moving through the ionosphere.

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As we learn more about the relationship linking Earth's atmosphere and the space environment

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the information will help improve the ability to predict conditions in the ionosphere,

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one more important step in protecting ourselves as we venture farther and farther

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from home.

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tone

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beeping

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beeping