| Abstract |
SDO is a NASA satellite under development, considered to be a second-generation solar mission (also referred to as SOHO successor). SDO represents the first mission within NASA's LWS (Living With a Star) program, a space weather-focused and applications-driven research program. The overall SDO objective is to observe the dynamics of the solar interior, provide data on the sun's magnetic field structure, characterize the release of mass and energy from the sun into the heliosphere, and monitor variations in solar irradiance. The goal is to understand the dynamic state of the sun (its variability) on multiple temporal and spatial scales which influence life and technology on Earth - to enable the development of an operational capability for space weather prediction (the purpose of the LWS Program).
The science objectives are:
• To provide nearly continuous coverage of solar activity
• To provide coverage of the regimes (interior, photosphere, corona) in which the activity occurs
• To provide sufficient data on the types of phenomena which impact Earth, near-Earth space and humanity
• To observe the solar variability over the relevant timescales (seconds to years)
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