Good morning,

	My name is Douglas Biesecker.  Sarah Gibson and I would like to
welcome you to the Whole Sun Month Workshop.

	Let me begin with the a restatement of the initial idea which
eventually snowballed into what we have now in front of us.  The goal
of that SOHO Joint Observing Plan was to understand the large-scale,
stable, solar minimum corona from 1 - 3 solar radii.  This was to be
done with a magnetostatic model that could be used to quantify density,
temperature, and magnetic field.  That is, we were proposing to solve
most of the problems of coronal physics.  This JOP was to run for a
whole solar rotation so that we would have an understanding of the
global picture.  We realized it was ambitious, but that was why we
chose a solar minimum corona.  When the sun would hopefully cooperate
and provide us with a structure that was not too complicated.  A sun
that is idealised in the same way that most models are idealised.

	Then, at a SOHO meeting where the JOP was being discussed, John
Kohl had the good idea that if we wanted to solve all the problems of
coronal physics, we would probably need some help to do this.  At the
same time, Toni Galvin suggested connecting the coronal analysis to
in-situ wind observations.  Thus was born, the Whole Sun Month campaign
and the idea for this workshop.  We preserve from the original proposal
the idea of understanding the large-scale, solar minimum corona, but we
have expanded the project to think of the corona in the context of the
true global picture - from the lower corona out as far as Ulysses was
at the time of Whole Sun Month.  We will use coronal information to
tell us about the wind, and wind observations to learn about the
corona.

	As I said at the outset, this is a WORKSHOP, not a conference.
We don't claim to have the answers now, as we have yet to decide which
questions we will ask.  What we do have is a rich data set which the
generous people in the room here are willing to share to help solve
some of the problems that we will be discussing over the two days of
the workshop.


	We will begin with introductory talks that show you some of
what the data taken during Whole Sun Month are.  But this will
certainly not be all of the data available.  These talks are supposed
to be 2/3rds presentation and 1/3 discussion.  So, please, we encourage
you all to get involved in the discussion.

	The second component of the workshop is where the real work
begins.  That is when those of us here let everyone else in the room
know what we are interested in and why.  Then in a collaborative
effort, we will bring the variety of ideas together and discuss, or
maybe argue about, how to attack the questions you posed.  But in fact,
we should be able to settle many arguments, as we all have access to
the same data.  Two different models can use the same data and the
results can be compared in a direct way.

	Obviously we will not get the answers to the questions in the
next 2 days.  Instead, we will have a plan of attack.  Collaborations
and collaborators will be identified and we have modified the agenda
for tomorrow afternoon so that there will be time to break into small
groups and discuss collaborations.  Then, the observers will know which
data products are of interest to everyone else, so we can use our time
judiciously.  The modellers will have this rich data set which will
allow them to attack problems in a way which is more complete than
before.

	We envision another workshop, possibly in early autumn, where
analysis is complete, where different models can be compared directly.
Also, to discuss where the picture is incomplete.  We would also
probably widen the scope of the next workshop, making use of what we
have learned about the solar-minimum corona.

	We also envision that much of the data, and some preliminary
modelling will be presented at the Spring AGU, in May.  This is a short
time frame.  But we see one way to focus the collaborations we will
form at this workshop will be to think in both the short and the long
term, and to present at the AGU some of the building blocks of the long
term goals.  We have arranged it so that all of the work related to
this workshop will be put in the same session, thus creating an
unofficial special session.  Abstracts are due Feb 27.  That gives us
almost 3 weeks to see what we could have ready for AGU.  By the end of
this workshop, we hope to have general ideas of what could be ready for
AGU.  Sarah will discuss the AGU and future plans in more detail
tomorrow during the summary discussion.

	Finally, this workshop came from a specific idea.  However, it
can only go where you take it, where your interests lie.  It will only
be successful if you speak your piece.  Please, especially during the
discussion sessions, we strongly encourage you to present a viewgraph
or two.  We have blank viewgraphs and pens available for those that
need it.  Let us know your ideas, which data you need, how you will
attack a particular question or questions.

	Now, let us watch some very spectacular movies in the first
presentation of the data. 

Thank you.