ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND PERSISTENT MYSTERIES IN HELIOPHYSICS IS THE ORIGIN OF SOLAR ERUPTIONS (FLARES AND CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)) WHICH ALWAYS COME FROM FILAMENT CHANNELS ALONG MAGNETIC POLARITY INVERSION LINES. THE SHEARED/TWISTED MAGNETIC FIELD OF FILAMENT CHANNELS PROVIDES THE FREE ENERGY THAT POWERS CMES AND SUPPORTS COOL PLASMA IN THE FORM OF FILAMENTS (ALSO KNOWN AS PROMINENCES). SOLAR ERUPTIONS CMES IN PARTICULAR ARE THE MAIN DRIVERS OF SPACE WEATHER. THEREFORE WE MUST UNDERSTAND FILAMENT CHANNEL STRUCTURE AND HOW IT FORMS IN ORDER TO PREDICT THE ONSET OF MAJOR SPACE-WEATHER EVENTS.