The two van Allen twin space probes, known originally as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), are about to complete their two-year primary mission, as they were launched on August 30, 2012. They’re still collecting data in the Van Allen radiation belts, two rings – one internal and one external – of electrically charged particles created by the Earth’s magnetic field around the equator. An article just published on line and then on paper in “Physical Review Letters” illustrates the mechanism of electron acceleration in the Van Allen belts.