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Not that kind of donut!

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[MUSIC]

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Earth is surrounded by donut shaped clouds of radiation.

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These clouds are made of helium, oxygen and wild protons and electrons.

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Radiation happens when those tiny particles start moving really fast.

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Space is not empty! It's a crazy environment created by all of the matter and energy the Sun spews out.

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Near Earth, that radiation in space can disrupt our technology, communications, such as GPS.

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These radiation belts were discovered 61 years ago by the very first satellite America launched

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into space, Explorer 1.

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The radiation belts were named after the mission's

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lead scientist, James Van Allen.

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That was the first time that scientists realized that space is

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way more complicated than we ever thought.

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So NASA has been studying this region ever since,

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so we can protect our technology and our astronauts

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from these bands of radiation.

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In 2012, NASA launched the twin Van Allen Probes to study how

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these radiation belts change in intensity, in shape and in size.

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The Van Allen Probes lasted three times as long as anyone expected

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in this harsh environment. And now we're going into a new orbit

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their final swan song before they succumb to orbital drag.

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We can't wait to see what discoveries they make before we say goodbye.