5
Concluding Observations and Recommendations
In addition to the agency-specific recommendations presented in Chapter 4, the committees offer the following general observations and recommendations on the nation's readiness for the upcoming solar maximum:
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For this solar maximum, an unprecedented solar-terrestrial spacecraft “armada” will be in orbit to use in studying the active Sun as well as Earth 's responses. These spacecraft must remain operational (to the maximum extent possible) with sufficient supporting research to exploit the opportunity they afford—an opportunity unlikely to be equaled in the foreseeable future.
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NSF and DOD have shown their support for the National Space Weather Program, but to realize the goals of the NSWP, NOAA should work to translate research models of the solar-terrestrial system to operational uses, perhaps through creation of the proposed rapid prototyping center.
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Increasing impacts of solar and geospace environment disturbances on human activities are expected during the period of the solar maximum. The committees recommend that an interagency workshop (or summit) involving scientists, agency representatives, and industrial administrators and engineers be held to improve their state of preparedness through sharing of information.