On 5/2-3/22, the NASA Virtual Workshop on Lightning-Related Research Beyond the Troposphere occurred via Webex. The workshop’s primary goal was to identify key lightning-related research topics and science questions that are interdisciplinary across the divisions of NASA Science Mission Directorate. Over 120 members of the scientific community met during the workshop to discuss research topics like terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), transient luminous events (TLEs), bolide detection by spaceborne lightning mappers, lightning’s effects on the ionosphere and magnetosphere, lightning on other planets, and other related subjects. Program managers from NASA’s Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science divisions also participated in the workshop. The workshop’s website, which will eventually host recordings and presentations from the workshop, may be found here: https://tinyurl.com/NASALightningWorkshop.
The organizing committee for the workshop was composed of members of the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Earth Science Branch (Timothy Lang, Sarah Bang, and Mason Quick) as well as representatives from Goddard Space Flight Center (Shing Fung and Burcu Kosar). Currently, the committee is developing a report for NASA Headquarters, as the results of the workshop may help formulate future NASA research opportunities.
