Space weather science rues cuts (BBC)

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News

The field of science dedicated to understanding "space weather" - which can pose hazards to satellites and aircraft - may be wiped out in the UK.

That is the verdict of experts responding to UK physics and astronomy cuts made as administrators seek to plug an £80m hole in their finances.

The UK is recognised as a world leader in solar-terrestrial physics (STP).

The science is crucial for protecting our communications networks against powerful outbursts from the Sun.

The organisation MIST (Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial) which represents the STP community in the UK, has issued a damning statement in which it says the cuts will prove catastrophic to this area of research.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7213917.stm

Don't expect US space budget to cover the slack ... we can't even keep EARTH satellites replaced on schedule, as a result of which we're losing EARTH weather/climate data.