Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




SOLAR SCIENCE
Space weather could wreak havoc in gadget-driven world
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Feb 20, 2011


A geomagnetic space storm sparked by a solar eruption like the one that flared toward Earth Tuesday is bound to strike again and could wreak havoc across the gadget-happy modern world, experts say.

Contemporary society is increasingly vulnerable to space weather because of our dependence on satellite systems for synchronizing computers, airline navigation, telecommunications networks and other electronic devices.

A potent solar storm could disrupt these technologies, scorch satellites, crash stock markets and cause power outages that last weeks or months, experts said Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting.

The situation will only get more dire because the solar cycle is heading into a period of more intense activity in the coming 11 years.

"This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco.

"The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cell phones are now ubiquitous; they were certainly around (before) but we didn't rely on them for so many different things," she said.

"Many things that we take for granted today are so much more prone to the process of space weather than was the case in the last solar maximum."

The experts admitted that currently, little that can be done to predict such a storm, much less shield the world's electrical grid by doing anything other shutting off power to some of the vulnerable areas until the danger passes.

"Please don't panic," said Stephan Lechner, director of the European Commission Joint Research Center, drawing laughter from the scientists and journalists in the audience. "Overreaction will make the situation worse."

The root of the world's vulnerability in the modern age is global positioning systems, or GPS devices, that provide navigational help but also serve as time synchronizers for computer networks and electronic equipment, he said.

"GPS helped and created a new dependency," said Lechner, noting that the technology's influence extends to aerospace and defense, digital broadcast, financial services and government agencies.

In Europe alone, there are 200 separate telecommunication operators, and "nothing is standardized," he said.

"We are far from understanding all the implications here," he said.

World governments are hurrying to work on strategies for cooperation and information sharing ahead of the next anticipated storm, though forecasters admit they are not sure when that may occur.

"Actually we cannot tell if there is going to be a big storm six months from now but we can tell when conditions are ripe for a storm to take place," said the European Space Agency's Juha-Pekka Luntama.

On Tuesday at 0156 GMT, a huge solar eruption, the strongest in about five years, sent a torrent of charged plasma particles hurtling toward the Earth at a speed of 560 miles (900 kilometers) per second.

The force of the Class X flash, the most powerful of all solar events, lit up auroras and disrupted some radio communications, but the effects were largely confined to the northern latitudes.

"Actually it turned out that we were well protected this time. The magnetic fields were aligned parallel so not much happened," said Luntama.

"In another case things might have been different."

Space storms are not new. The first major solar flare was recorded by British astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859.

Other solar geomagnetic storms have been observed in recent decades. One huge solar flare in 1972 cut off long-distance telephone communication in the midwestern state of Illinois, NASA said.

Another similar flare in 1989 "provoked geomagnetic storms that disrupted electric power transmission" and caused blackouts across the Canadian province of Quebec, the US space agency said.

A panel of NASA-assembled scientists issued a report in 2009 that said a powerful solar flare could overwhelm high-voltage transformers with electrical currents and short-circuit energy grids.

Such a catastrophic event could cost the United States alone up to two trillion dollars in repairs in the first year -- and it could take up to 10 years to fully recover, the report said.

.


Related Links
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SOLAR SCIENCE
Huge solar flare jams radio, satellite signals: NASA
Washington (AFP) Feb 17, 2011
A powerful solar eruption that has already disturbed radio communications in China could disrupt electrical power grids and satellites used on Earth in the next days, NASA said. The massive sunspot, which astronomers say is the size of Jupiter, is the strongest solar flare in four years, NASA said Wednesday. The Class X flash - the largest such category - erupted at 0156 GMT Tuesday, a ... read more


SOLAR SCIENCE
Waiter, There's Metal In My Moon Water

Japan eyes humanoid robot mission in space

Astrobotic Technology Annouces Lunar Mission On SpaceX Falcon 9

LRO Could Have Given Apollo 14 Crew Another Majestic View

SOLAR SCIENCE
Experiment volunteers take 2nd 'walk on Mars'

Walking On Mars

Opportunity Catching The Rays During Solar Conjunction

Mars, Brought To You By Corporate Sponsors

SOLAR SCIENCE
Obama vows US will 'out-hustle' world

Europe's ATV Johannes Kepler Supply Ship On Its Way To Space Station

Space Operations Inc Announces First Orbital Manned Commercial Spacecraft Operational By 2012

As US cuts back, China aims to be top at science

SOLAR SCIENCE
Shenzhou 8 Mission Could Top Three Weeks

U.S. wary of China space weapons

Slow progress in U.S.-China space efforts

China Builds Theme Park In Spaceport

SOLAR SCIENCE
Cosmonauts Conclude Russia 28th Spacewalk from Station

Ariane 5 Launches Second ATV Space Truck

Astro_Paolo And Views From Space

Cosmonauts To Perform 28th Russian Space Station Spacewalk

SOLAR SCIENCE
SpaceX to focus on astronaut capsule

ILS Appoints Vice President Of Sales Marketing And Communications

Ariane 5's Mission With The Automated Transfer Vehicle Is Postponed

Ariane 5 Ready For Launch Of Automated Transfer Vehicle Johannes Kepler

SOLAR SCIENCE
Direct Images Of Disks Unravel Mystery Of Planet Formation

New Instrument Will Help Confirm Kepler Planet Finds

NASA Finds Earth-Size Planet Candidates In Habitable Zone

Las Cumbres Scientists Play Key Role In New Planetry System Discovery

SOLAR SCIENCE
Weather radar used in wildlife studies

Southampton Scientists Develop Control System To Allow Spacecraft To Think For Themselves

Are plant hydraulics a path to adaptive dream machines?

Champions shaping up for browser battles




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement