This is a compilation of seventeen (17) papers presented by the Space Physics Division at the 1978 Symposium on the Effect of the Ionosphere on Space and Terrestrial Systems. The symposium was jointly sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research, January 24-26, 1978. The emphasis is on the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities and their effect on communication, radar and navigation systems.

An advanced system for measurement of transionospheric radio propagation effects was developed, utilizing the TI-4100 four-channel Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. During AFGL's Polar ARCS campaign at Sondrestrom, Greenland in February-March 1987, the system successfully measured ionospheric total electron content (TEC), phase scintillation, and amplitude scintillation on both GPS carrier frequencies, from up to four satellites simultaneously. This was the first time it has been possible to measure these parameters simultaneously, in multiple directions, in the high-latitude regions. Coupled with the simultaneous optical and incoherent scatter radar diagnostics obtained during the Polar ARCS campaign, these measurements significantly improve our capability to characterize high latitude ionospheric structures, particularly their temporal and spatial variation. Additionally, the development of this advanced system has contributed significantly to the technology base for specification of the Transionospheric Sensing System (TISS) for the Air Weather Service. The system can also be software upgraded to perform special navigation in addition to ionospheric measurements in airborne applications.

In 2010, NASA and the National Science Foundation asked the National Research Council to assemble a committee of experts to develop an integrated national strategy that would guide agency investments in solar and space physics for the years 2013-2022. That strategy, the result of nearly 2 years of effort by the survey committee, which worked with more than 100 scientists and engineers on eight supporting study panels, is presented in the 2013 publication, Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society. This booklet, designed to be accessible to a broader audience of policymakers and the interested public, summarizes the content of that report.