In 2010, NASA and the National Science Foundation asked the National Research Council to assemble a committee of experts to develop an integrated national strategy that would guide agency investments in solar and space physics for the years 2013-2022. That strategy, the result of nearly 2 years of effort by the survey committee, which worked with more than 100 scientists and engineers on eight supporting study panels, is presented in the 2013 publication, Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society. This booklet, designed to be accessible to a broader audience of policymakers and the interested public, summarizes the content of that report.

This volume, The Sun to the Earth-and Beyond: Panel Reports, is a compilation of the reports from five National Research Council (NRC) panels convened as part of a survey in solar and space physics for the period 2003-2013. The NRC's Space Studies Board and its Committee on Solar and Space Physics organized the study. Overall direction for the survey was provided by the Solar and Space Physics Survey Committee, whose report, The Sun to the Earth-and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, was delivered to the study sponsors in prepublication format in August 2002. The final version of that report was published in June 2003. The panel reports provide both a detailed rationale for the survey committee's recommendations and an expansive view of the numerous opportunities that exist for a robust program of exploration in solar and space physics.

Active remote sensing is the principal tool used to study and to predict short- and long-term changes in the environment of Earth - the atmosphere, the oceans and the land surfaces - as well as the near space environment of Earth. All of these measurements are essential to understanding terrestrial weather, climate change, space weather hazards, and threats from asteroids. Active remote sensing measurements are of inestimable benefit to society, as we pursue the development of a technological civilization that is economically viable, and seek to maintain the quality of our life. A Strategy for Active Remote Sensing Amid Increased Demand for Spectrum describes the threats, both current and future, to the effective use of the electromagnetic spectrum required for active remote sensing. This report offers specific recommendations for protecting and making effective use of the spectrum required for active remote sensing.

The accurate design of earth–space systems requires a comprehensive understanding of the various propagation media and phenomena that differ depending on frequencies and types of applications. The choice of the relevant channel models is crucial in the design process and constitutes a key step in performance evaluation and testing of earth–space systems. The subject of this book is built around the two characteristic cases of satellite systems: fixed satellites and mobile satellite systems. Radio Wave Propagation and Channel Modeling for Earth–Space Systems discusses the state of the art in channel modeling and characterization of next-generation fixed multiple-antennas and mobile satellite systems, as well as propagation phenomena and fade mitigation techniques. The frequencies of interest range from 100 MHz to 100 GHz (from VHF to W band), whereas the use of optical free-space communications is envisaged. Examining recent research advances in space-time tropospheric propagation fields and optical satellite communication channel models, the book covers land mobile multiple antennas satellite- issues and relative propagation campaigns and stratospheric channel models for various applications and frequencies. It also presents research and well-accepted satellite community results for land mobile satellite and tropospheric attenuation time-series single link and field synthesizers. The book examines aeronautical communications channel characteristics and modeling, relative radio wave propagation campaigns, and stratospheric channel model for various applications and frequencies. Propagation effects on satellite navigation systems and the corresponding models are also covered.