5A-3 METWATCH/SPACE WX

Question 0

A major difference between a METWATCH and MISSIONWATCH is that a

Answer 0

METWATCH focuses on a broad area, with general interest.

Question 1

When conducting METWATCH, as a minimum you must consider timing,

Answer 1

terrain, and forecast values.

Question 2

When a weather flight conducts a METWATCH, which of the following tools best identifies weather patterns that normally cause poor weather conditions?

Answer 2

Regional Analysis and Forecast Program (RAFP)

Question 3

Regarding a weather warning for winds greater than 50 knots, which of the following statements best defines the term minimum desired lead time?

Answer 3

The amount of advanced notice a customer requires before the event occurs.

Question 4

Which organization is responsible for monitoring weather conditions for warning-meeting criteria while weather units are closed and unmanned?

Answer 4

Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)

Question 5

How much energy does the sun manufacture per second?

Answer 5

3.85 x 10^26

Question 6

The basic energy source for the sun is

Answer 6

the fusion of hydrogen into helium.

Question 7

Which layer of the sun contains one-half of the solar mass?

Answer 7

Core

Question 8

In which of the sun’s layers do large temperature gradients form because atoms absorb energy?

Answer 8

Convection zone

Question 9

Which layer of the sun is visible from earth when we look at the sun with our eyes?

Answer 9

Photosphere

Question 10

The continual, outward flow of energetic charged particles from the sun is called the

Answer 10

Solar Wind

Question 11

The name given to the darkest area at the center of a sunspot is

Answer 11

Umbra.

Question 12

Generally, solar bursts are most common during

Answer 12

Solar Maximum

Question 13

What is the prime cause of solar activity?

Answer 13

Solar flares

Question 14

Which solar features are ribbon-like, suspended above the chromosphere by the magnetic field, and comparable to clouds on earth?

Answer 14

Filaments.

Question 15

When is the greatest potential for large solar flares to occur?

Answer 15

2 to 3 years following a solar maximum

Question 16

The overall polarity of the sun’s northern and Southern Hemispheres reverse every

Answer 16

11 years

Question 17

The unit of measurement used to identify the strength of a magnetic field is the

Answer 17

Gauss

Question 18

Clouds do gases suspended above the chromosphere which appear as dark, ribbon-like features on the solar disk are called

Answer 18

Prominences.

Question 19

Which solar feature is formed by the condensation of material from the hot corona?

Answer 19

Loop prominence.

Question 20

How many discrete (fixed) frequencies can the radio telescope simultaneously sample for radio emissions from the chromosphere and corona?

Answer 20

8

Question 21

The solar radio spectrograph (SRS) monitors solar emissions over a megahertz (MHz) frequency range of

Answer 21

25 to 180 MHz

Question 22

On what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does the most intense energy fall?

Answer 22

Visible

Question 23

The type of radiation that causes ionization of molecules in the upper atmosphere is

Answer 23

X-Ray

Question 24

Which type of radiation causes ionization of upper atmospheric atoms and molecules and results in the heating of the upper atmosphere?

Answer 24

Ultraviolet

Question 25

Which type of radiation has the least application in the space environment?

Answer 25

Infrared

Question 26

What is the term used to identify the area between the sun and the planets?

Answer 26

Interplanetary medium

Question 27

The tails of comets that always point away from the sun show the influence of the

Answer 27

Solar wind

Question 28

What is the interface called that separates interplanetary space from the magnetosphere?

Answer 28

Magnetopause

Question 29

Which atmospheric layer serves as the primary reservoir of atoms/molecules that may be heated and/or ionized by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation?

Answer 29

Thermosphere

Question 30

Where are the floating electrons created that make up the ionosphere?

Answer 30

Mesosphere and thermosphere

Question 31

Which atmospheric layer contains sharp horizontal and vertical electron density gradients?

Answer 31

Ionosphere

Question 32

What phenomena is a dynamic and delicate visual manifestation of solar-induced geomagnetic storms?

Answer 32

Aurora

Question 33

The term used to describe the event in which earth is showered with energetic solar particles released from a solar flare site is

Answer 33

Proton event

Question 34

The mechanism by which charged solar particle streams disrupt the magnetosphere and adversely affect radar, communications, and space operations is

Answer 34

A geomagnetic storm

Question 35

Which solar-geophysical sensor detects cosmic radio noise at a frequency of 30 MHz?

Answer 35

Riometer

Question 36

Which solar-geophysical sensor acts like a radar and transmits radio energy vertically over a range of 2 to 30 MHz, or between any two frequencies within this range?

Answer 36

Ionospheric sounder

Question 37

Which solar-geophysical sensor measures the absolute total electron content (TEC) by analyzing the signals from GPS satellites?

Answer 37

Transionospheric sensor

Question 38

What is the impact of electron density gradients within the ionosphere on single frequency or dual frequency GPS navigation?

Answer 38

Positional accuracy is degraded

Question 39

When a satellite orbiting the magnetosphere is bombarded by energetic protons from the sun, the satellite’s star sensor

Answer 39

Falsely interprets light flashes caused by collisions as stars and the satellite loses altitude control

Question 40

What impact will atoms and molecules from lower altitudes, expanding upward into the orbit altitudes of satellites, have on the spacecraft?

Answer 40

The satellite will become disoriented

Question 41

What is the impact of electrically charged particles from the sun that penetrate into the mid to upper stratosphere?

Answer 41

Radiation hazard to aircrews of high altitude flight

Question 42

How long after a solar flare does it usually take for low to medium energy particles to arrive at earth?

Answer 42

2 to 4 days

Question 43

What term is used to describe rapid, random variation in signal amplitude, phase, and/or polarization caused by small-scale irregularities in the electron density along a signal’s path?

Answer 43

Scintillation

Question 44

During a 24-hour day, when do the majority of satellite problems occur due to geomagnetic storms?

Answer 44

Midnight to dawn

Question 45

Which Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) weather and environmental unit provides weather services for all Department of Defense (DOD) and civilian space and ballistic missile launch operations on the Western Range?

Answer 45

30th Weather Squadron

Question 46

Which organization operates the worldwide Solar Electro-Optical Network (SEON)?

Answer 46

2d Weather Squadron Space Weather Operations Center

Question 47

Which agency collects data and issues space environmental forecasts for non-Department of Defense agencies?

Answer 47

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Question 48

The Space Weather Prediction Center receives energetic particle and other geophysical data from the

Answer 48

Geosynchronous operational environmental satellite (GOES) spacecraft

Question 49

Which bulletin, produced by Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) Space Weather Operations Center, provides notice they certain high-frequency (HF) communications frequencies may become unusable during daylight conditions due to a sudden burst in the sun’s X-ray radiation?

Answer 49

WOXX50 KGWC