There have been exciting things happening in magnetism. NASA recently awarded the University of Iowa (UI) a significant grant—$115 million—to study the interactions between the Earth and Sun’s magnetic fields. The TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) project, the largest research project in the university’s history, will be part of NASA’s Explorers Program.  Why Study the Magnetic Fields of the Earth and the Sun? NASA’s interest in studying the interactions between Earth and the Sun’s magnetic fields lie within the effects those interactions have on Earth. We know that Earth’s magnetic field protects our planet from the radiation that comes from solar winds. There are times, however, that solar wind finds a way into Earth through holes where the Earth and Sun’s magnetic fields touch. According to Craig Kletzing, the professor in the UI physics and astronomy department who’s heading the project, “the TRACERS research addresses long-standing questions about how energy couples from the solar wind into our local magnetosphere.”  Details on the Projects  UI will be responsible for managing the project and creating two measurement systems that will be used on two satellites that will be built over the next three years by a company in El Segundo, California.Once the satellites are launched with assistance from NASA, they will collect data on solar wind for at least two years. The ultimate goal of the project? To learn more about the “weather of space.”  It Takes a Village  While a team of 15-20 researchers from UI will lead TRACERS, the project is a larger team effort. Roughly 40 people from the Iowa City campus, as well as people from Auburn University, Dartmouth College, and UCLA will play a role in making TRACERS happen. The UI team includes Jasper Halekas (ACE lead), George Hospodarsky (MSC lead), Scott Bounds (Instrument Manager), Jeff Dolan (Instrument Systems Engineer), Dan Crawford (Science Operations Center lead), Rich Dvorsky (Mechanics System Engineer), Carol Preston (TRACERS Accountant), and Loren LeClair (TRACERS contracting lead).  To stay up-to-date with this research project and other magnetic findings, follow along with our blog or subscribe to our monthly newsletter!