History of Magnetospheric Physics
Theories about the solar plasma stream and its interaction with Earth were published as early as 1931. During the next several decades multiple scientists, including Sydney Chapman and Hannes Alfvén, proposed a variety of mechanisms and explanations. The Earth's magnetosphere was first measured in 1958 by Explorer 1 with instruments designed by James A. Van Allen of The University of Iowa during the research performed for the International Geophysical Year. In August and September 1958, Project Argus was performed to test a theory about the formation of radiation belts that may have tactical use in war.
In 1959 Thomas Gold proposed the name "magnetosphere" when he wrote:
- "The region above the ionosphere in which the magnetic field of the earth has a dominant control over the motions of gas and fast charged particles is known to extend out to a distance of the order of 10 earth radii; it may appropriately be called the 'magnetosphere'."
Read more about this topic: Magnetosphere
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