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SOHO's Antenna Jammed

Posted by michael on from the really-long-stick-needed dept.

zapp writes "Space.com has a story reporting that the communications antenna on SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) has been acting up for two weeks, and as of 3PM ET Thursday was not functioning properly. The problem appears to be with motor to position the antenna. If full use of SOHO cannot be regained, it will set space weather forcasting back 20 years."

1 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Re:And how does forecasting help? by mlyle · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Lots of things. You can have employees ready to bring services back up after any damage occurs, for one. Also, some satellites could be configured into safe modes that prevent damage-- a significant consideration when even small satellite launches usually cost in excess of $50M. Also, the solar wind is potentially hazardous to humans (especially outside the Van Allen belts. Forecasting the solar wind could improve the safety of future Mars and moon missions.

    Also, forecasting the Sun's weather will enable researchers to stage experiments on how the solar wind affects Earth's atmosphere to a greater extent.