To measure or not to measure? – that is the question

The first meeting between scientists that had instruments on Sweden’s first satellite, Viking, was held on 5-6 June 1986 at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. This was three months after the launch of the satelllite and data were streaming down from space (see for example the image on the right). Swedish Nobel Laureate (1970), professor Hannes Alfvén was the keynote speaker with a talk entitled “To measure or not to measure – that is the question” – an admonition to stick to important scientific questions!

Hannes Alfvén (1908-1995) has played a central role in the development of several modern fields of physics, including plasma physics and interplanetary and magnetospheric physics. He is also usually regarded as the father of the branch of plasma physics known as magnetohydrodynamics.

Recently I found the text of his keynote speech on 5 June 1986. I feel that it is worthwhile to reproduce the opening part of his address which I think is a useful reminder when planning new scientific space missions:

“… In his scientific biography “Hur det kom sig” (“How it happened”) Ragnar Granit discusses the relation between theory, experiment and technique in biophysics and points out that in many fields there are too many people who restrict themselves to do only what is technically possible instead of concentra­ting on what is of importance to do (p 212-213). He speaks of the “sterilizing effect” of a technique that has got stuck in pure routine. “What happens then is that the scientists are transformed into big suppliers of trifles.” The study of the human eye alone is the origin of so many publications that no one has the time to read them.

If you try to follow the magnetospheric literature, you get the impression that this is true even in this case. Now when Viking is providing large amounts of excellent new data, it is impor­tant that we, when using it, try to reduce this danger. In other words, what is of importance to clarify should be un­conditionally separated from what is technically possible to measure but is only an annoying ballast in literature.

Carl-Gunne Fälthammar is now publishing a paper “Magnetosphere Ionosphere Interactions – Near Earth Manifestations of the Plasma Universe” in which it is emphasized that the study of the ionosphere-magnetosphere system is of fundamental impor­tance to the understanding not only our own space environment but also to other magnetospheres, to the sun and stars to interplanetary, interstellar and intergalactic space and remote regions of the “Plasma Universe”.

Below are listed same problems that appear to be of importance to clarify …”

In essence this keynote speech by Alfvén is nothing less than the claim to relevance of space plasma physics – an inspiring programmatic statement.

By the way,  the term “The Plasma Universe” refers to  a non-standard, perhaps controversial and nowadays mostly ignored, cosmology that is generally attributed to Hannes Alfvén in the 1960s that attempts to explain the development of the visible universe through the interaction of electromagnetic forces on astrophysical plasma.

Note: Ragnat Granit (1990-1991) was a Finnish scientist that won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1967.

Sven Grahn