날씨도 인위적으로 만들어지는 ...

천둥 구름으로부터 속구치는번개의 거대 섬광은 특별한 장관을

연출하는 단순한 모양인가 아님 실제적으로 주변을 둘러싸고 있는

화학 물질의 구성에 따른 것인가 아님 오존 감소에따른 역활인지 지구의

기후 탓인지가 유럽 우주 기구ESA가 제안한 국제 우주 정거장ISS에

특별히 설계된 카메라 설치가 대답 해야할 핵심 질문이다. 보통 우린

번개라면구름으로부터 땅에 떨어지는 아주 날카러운 지그재그 모양을

생각하나 구름위에는 전혀전혀 다른 광경이다. 번개는 천연색이고 주로

붉은 색과 하늘색이고 대기권의 상당 지역을 커버하며 때로는 대기권과

성층권의 경계에까지 도달한다고. 카메라 설치의 주요 의도는 어떻게 이

거대한 번개 섬광이어떻게 생겨나며 얼마나 자주 발생하느냐 이다.

이 거대 전기 폭발이 오존층을파괴하고 그런 과정에 지구 기후에 영향을

미친다는 것이다. 이런 자연의과정을 연구함로 인위적 기후를 만드는

변화를 구상하는 데 도움을 얻을수 잇다고,.

A Space Station View On Giant Lightning

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ESA -- Do giant flashes of lightning striking upwards from thunder clouds merely pose an extraordinarily spectacular view? Or do they actually alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere, playing a role in ozone depletion and the climate on Earth? This is the key question that may be answered by specially designed cameras, which ESA proposes to place on board the International Space Station.

The International Space Station (ISS) is the ideal setting for studies of spectacular natural phenomena well hidden from us on Earth - so-called red sprites, blue jets and vast flashes of lightning striking not from clouds to the ground, but from clouds towards space. Normally the word lightning makes us think of sharp zigzag lines striking from the clouds to the ground. Above the clouds however a quite different type of lightning can be seen. There lightning is colourful - mainly red and blue - and covers large areas of the upper atmosphere. Sometimes it can even reach the border between the atmosphere and space.

Over the last few years scientists from the Danish ional Space Centre have studied these flashes with cameras placed on mountain tops. Every so often the cameras would catch a flash of lightning striking up from a thunder cloud at a lower altitude.

Placing cameras and other instruments on the Space Station would, however, dramatically improve the chances of seeing the giant flashes and study their effect on the atmosphere. The Danish National Space Centre is currently studying a package of instruments for just that purpose, known as the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM). ESA has now selected ASIM for a feasibility study (known as Phase A).

"The question is how are these giant flashes of lightning created and how often do they take place", says senior scientist Torben Neubert, head of the project at Danish National Space Centre. It may well be that the large electrical bursts remove ozone from the atmosphere, and in so doing influence the climate. "We need to understand the natural processes which influence the atmosphere and this can help us decide which changes in the climate are man-made", Torben Neubert states.

It is still too early to say when the cameras will actually enter into service in space.