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NASA Working On Solar Storm Shield
Zothecula writes "The solar storms that cause the stunning aurora borealis and aurora australis (or northern and southern polar lights) also have the potential to knock out telecommunications equipment and navigational systems and cause blackouts of electrical grids. With the frequency of the sun's flares following an 11-year cycle of solar activity and the next solar maximum expected around 2013, scientists are bracing for an overdue, once-in-100 year event that could cause widespread power blackouts and cripple electricity grids around the world. It sounds like an insurmountable problem but a new NASA project called 'Solar Shield' is working to develop a forecasting system that can mitigate the impacts of such events and keep the electrons flowing."
Didn't Mr Burns try something like this?
If they start now they ought to be done in time for the next solar storms.
I went to battle M.C. Escher, but drew a blank.
What will it do to Mother Earth?
Lets spend billions of dollars to prevent a 1 day blackout. Sure.
How would they mitigate it anyway? Reroute all the power to a few lines that get overloaded so then you get a blackout anyway?
Seems like Solar Warning is a better name for it. It's not like they are putting something in space to shield us from anything.
This cycle, the sunspots have been at more of a minimum, when they should have been back in close to full swing, except now it's still close to a minimum, when, as the article points out, it should have been a little over 2 years to the maximum.
We've had strong sunspots before, and they haven't taken out the grid or telecommunications. True, they have an effect on the high frequencies, but little, if any, on microwave or ultra high frequencies used by many satellites.
Just so we're clear, this isn't an actual, physical solar shield?
Yawn. Ok, maybe it'll help, but just saying, if you're going to give something a name like "Solar Shield", don't expect people to be underwhelmed. Even IF there are satellites involved.
Come to think of it, if there WAS a huge circular ultra-thin metallic doodad protecting us from certain doom, somebody would want to advertise on it. "Rays of death and inconvenience shooting at our planet from a star averted by Sprite, who remind you to always Obey Your Thirst(tm)"
"These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined" --Homer re:
If this topic has gotten you concerned about your personal stuff getting fried (if not by a CME, then by a nuclear EMP), you may want to look into constructing a Faraday cage. Here's a couple helpful links:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100211130814AAGmUNZ
http://forums.makezine.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=752
3. Profit!
2. ???
1. On Soviet Slashdot, a Beowulf cluster of alien Natalie Portman overlords welcomes YOU!
and it only took about 50 years of experience to initiate.
I really want to see the aurora borealis in my lifetime - and there are apparently occasions when it is visible as far south as 51 degrees north - the Southern UK. Failing that, I'll go to Norway and rent a special igloo.
There was one of these solar storms in the 1850s, I think, and it set telegraph wires alight, causing fires. Imagine what it would do today.
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The apocalypse is going to be in 2012, not 2013. This article is wrong, and NASA can't save us from the apocalypse.
Here is a much better article from the horse's mouth:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/26oct_solarshield/
I was feeling a little dismal about the situation until I read this report. Simply brilliant! Advanced warning so that we can unplug giant transformers and other vital and hard to replace portions of the grid before we're hit.
I am getting tired of people quoting imaginary threats against the electrical grid. Y2K could bring down the electrical grid worldwide. Hackers could bring down the electrical grid worldwide. Terrorists could bring down the electrical grid worldwide. Cyber-warfare could bring down the electrical grid nationwide. Now, solar flares.
Your mama could bring down the electrical grid. When will the reality come through, that the electrical grid is actively maintained and it ain't that fragile? Major power failures happen what, once in 5 years in developed countries? And for most "victims" they are merely an inconvenience. More people die every year from food poisoning or slipping in the bathroom than in the blackout of the decade.
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
A *warning* system that will allow us to "send alerts." Well, woo hoo! Yeah, that'll show that nasty solar storm! Of course, the millions of miles of wire generating current will still fry anything connected to them and/or themselves, and our satellite system will be largely toast, but gosh *darn* it, we'll know 15 minutes ahead of time that it's going to happen.
Of course, to do anything real like putting our grid underground as we upgrade it would cost real money so we can forget that one.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
Yah I guess your right I mean what benefits has mankind seen from NASA sending those people into space. Well if you ignore:
Air quality monitoring systems, Air Purification, Virtual Reality, Enriched Baby Food, Water Purification Systems, Scratch Resistant Lenses, Athletic Shoes(shock absorbing), Solar Energy, Weather Forecasting Aid, Advanced keyboards, Customer Service Software, Database Management System, Laser Surveying, Aircraft controls, Lightweight Compact Disc, Microcomputers, Wind Monitoring, Radiation Insulation, Fire Resistant Materials, Sewage Treatment, Breast Cancer Detection, Programmable Pacemakers, Digital Imaging Breast Biopsy System, Radioactive Leak Detectors, Microlasers, Engine Lubricant, Advanced welding torches, Radiation Hazard Detection, Emergency Rescue Cutters, Improved Air Tanks for Firefighters, Interactive Computer Training, Doppler Radar for storm warning, Improve Aircraft Engines, Ultrasound Scanners, Automatic Insulin Pump, Portable x-ray Device.
(This list is only part in a long list of stuff)
Source: http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
Oh good, I can finally predict the next solar flare to send a note back in time from 2010 to 2001 and fix the future by stopping that world changing event from occurring!
/end stargate reference
Could not have said it better (or even come close).
Conservative, mod down for violating
"Department of Solar Security and Global Warming has raised the threat level from Yellow (hot) to Red (really f'n hot). Although widespread power outages and satellite failures are expected, most of the resulting problems will be due to over use of air conditioners. We appreciate the hysteria created when Y2K forecasts caused widespread panic; however, DSSGW strenuously recommends that citizens vote Democratic during this next election to appease the Solar God of Politico thus saving the women and children from solaritis." Really? Sounds like another example of manufactured stress and "never let a good crisis go to waste" exercise. Enough already...
you forgot peace
Media that can be recorded and distributed can be recorded and distributed.
-kfg
ill make a bomb er solar proof shelter and put all the pirated stuff there ..thanks to a pirate
MUHAHA
all thats left of mankinds tech
http://xkcd.com/509/
No, there is no "-1 I'LL NEVER ADMIT BEING WRONG!!!" mod.
I like how the event is supposed to happen in 2012 but the summery probably doesn't want to mention that because of all the crazies it would attract.
you forgot peace
sorry, we're still on version 0.51.29 beta of "world peace", stay tuned for the next bugfix patch.
EMP and a CME share one thing in common. They have the capacity to generate large currents in long conductors. Now, here is where it gets interesting: Not all "long conductors" are electrical lines. Railroad tracks and pipelines are two things where surprising things can happen and there are a lot more of them than there was in 1859. Those pipes carry everything from natural gas and petroleum to water. Some moderately long conductors are verticle including tall buildings and antenna towers. How do they tether heliostats? Those are the observation baloons that keep an eye on our borders and other places. Yes, I would prefer the term "Solar Warning" and like the concept. The best part is the early warning starting with seeing a ten minute old event that won't get here for another 8 to 24 hours. Can they do a system shut down and swing shorting bars in that kind of time? Right now would not be too early to start the planning and practicing.
You are making the false assumption that none of these thing would have happened without NASA or a space program. This is clearly false. In fact most of your list was never driven by the space programs needs, but rather terrestrial needs, and wasn't even developed by NASA.
The Grey Goo disaster happened 3 billion years ago. This rock is covered in self replicating machines!