An illustration of the Space Test Program Houston 11 payload, including NASA's STORIE mission, mounted to the outside of the ISS. (Image credit: NASA/US Space Force) A new mission will attempt to chart a mysterious ring-shaped current surrounding the Earth, so that researchers can better protect satellites and power infrastructure from charged particles in space. The NASA mission, called STORIE (Storm Time O+ Ring current Imaging Evolution), will try to hunt down more details about this "ring current" that traps charged particles in a doughnut shape around our planet. The payload also aims to answer a big question: do these particles come from the sun , or from Earth ? Imminent launch STORIE will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) as soon May 12 on SpaceX 's 34th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission. NASA will team up with the Space Force to fly the instrument about the Houston 11 (STP-H11) payload as part of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Space Test Program.…