What Is the Weather (in space)?

Space Weather refers to changes in the space environment, especially those that can impact our technology.  Just as terrestrial weather forecasting monitors and predicts variables like wind speed, temperature, and precipitation, space weather forecasting monitors and predicts variables like solar wind speed, radiation flux, and electron preciptiation into the ionosphere.  In this talk I will outline the effects of space weather and how those effects can impact our daily lives.  Some of the ways that space weather can affect us here on Earth will be very surprising, such as the impacts on modern farming and oil drilling.  Other possible effects, such as radiation hazrads for astronauts might be less surprising.  But one thing is for certain - space weather will become more and more important in our future.