Space Sciences

The William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences at UT Dallas focuses on theoretical and empirical studies of the Earth’s atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

Ongoing work includes studies of natural and anthropogenic effects on the lower atmosphere, coupling of ionized and neutral particles in the ionosphere, and identification of distinct energy and particulate radiation zones in high-latitude and high-altitude domains.

Data for empirical investigations of these and other phenomena are assimilated from a variety of sources, including satellite and rocket-borne instrumentation designed and built in the Hanson Center. Empirical and first-principles numerical models of the Earth’s space environment are used extensively to test existing theories and help explain observations.