UPC researchers participate in space mission to study gigantic lightning jets
The Lightning Research Group (LRG) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), based on the Terrassa Campus, is participating in the ASIM space mission to observe, record and analyse the most violent electrical storms that occur in the atmosphere. The aim is to verify data collected by an observatory installed on the International Space Station (ISS), which will measure high-energy terrestrial emissions in the atmosphere, by comparing it to data obtained by the UPC at various points around the planet.
ASIM is an acronym for Atmosphere Space Interactions Monitor, a European Space Agency (ESA) scientific mission that aims to improve models for studying the climate and quantify the effect of the most violent electrical and chemical processes – Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) and Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) – that take place between the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere, above thunderstorms. The mission involves scientists from Denmark, Norway and Spain.
The data obtained by the ASIM mission will be very valuable in the study of climate change, the greenhouse effect and severe storms. The data will also be very useful to develop new instruments that will allow researchers to analyse magnetic phenomena and unlock the mysteries behind the generation of many different electrical phenomena in the Earth’s atmosphere. People have been puzzled by the origin, nature and behaviour of these violent phenomena for many years.
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