Editing Advanced Composition Explorer (section)

=== Real-Time Solar Wind (RTSW) ===
The Real-Time Solar Wind (RTSW) system is continuously monitoring the solar wind and producing warnings of impending major geomagnetic activity, up to one hour in advance. Warnings and alerts issued by NOAA allow those with systems sensitive to such activity to take preventative action. The RTSW system gathers solar wind and energetic particle data at high time resolution from four ACE instruments (MAG, SWEPAM, EPAM, and SIS), packs the data into a low-rate bit stream, and broadcasts the data continuously. NASA sends real-time data to NOAA each day when downloading science data. With a combination of dedicated ground stations (CRL in Japan and RAL in Great Britain) and time on existing ground tracking networks (NASA DSN and the USAF's AFSCN), the RTSW system can receive data 24 hours per day throughout the year. The raw data are immediately sent from the ground station to the Space Weather Prediction Center in [[Boulder, Colorado]], processed, and then delivered to its Space Weather Operations Center where they are used in daily operations; the data are also delivered to the CRL Regional Warning Center at [[Hiraiso Station]], Japan, to the [[55th Space Weather Squadron|USAF 55th Space Weather Squadron]], and placed on the [[World Wide Web]]. The data are downloaded, processed and dispersed within 5 minutes from the time they leave ACE. The RTSW system also uses the low-energy energetic particles to warn of approaching interplanetary shocks and to help monitor the flux of high-energy particles that can produce radiation damage in satellite systems.<ref name=zwickl98>{{cite journal |last=Zwickl |first=R. D. |title=The NOAA Real-Time Solar-Wind (RTSW) System using ACE Data |journal=Space Science Reviews |date=July 1998 |volume=86 |pages=633–648 |doi=10.1023/A:1005044300738 |bibcode=1998SSRv...86..633Z |s2cid=189767518 |display-authors=et al.}}</ref>