The AIAA is planning a “Space Weather Day” on Capitol Hill on Thursday, giving government and industry officials an opportunity to impress upon Congressional staffers the importance of monitoring space weather. Speakers include officials from NOAA, NASA, the Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and the aviation and utility industries, who are most affected by solar storms. This comes at a time when the Space Environment Center (SEC) has been threatened by budget cuts in recent years and suggestions that the monitoring work performed by the center should be shifted from NOAA to NASA and/or the Air Force. The SEC had its budget cut by 40 percent in FY06, for reasons that remain unclear, and could be forced to lay off staff if its budget isn’t restored to earlier levels for FY07.
