Tech

Terrible! Massive solar storm and satellite impact: Lost in space


Giant solar storms are not only devastating to the Earth, but can also target satellites in its orbit.

The active state of the Sun is worrying astronomers, especially about their inactivity geomagnetic storm on the earth. The Sun is in the active phase and scientists are worried that the sun’s rays are heading towards The earth can knock down the power grid, Internetmobile phones and more on earth. However, the effects of solar storms may be more one imaginable. They can even affect satellites in Earth’s orbit. In October 2003, a massive storm hit the Earth, and to the surprise of the controllers, they lost track of hundreds of satellites for days. And now space researchers are worried that the next big solar storm could wreak havoc in near-Earth space for weeks.

As reported by Space.com, the US Space Surveillance Network (SSN) has tracked nearly 20,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in low Earth orbit, an area of ​​space at altitudes below 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). While some of these objects are active satellites, others are defunct spacecraft, spent rocket stages, and debris created by collisions.

SSN experts are tracking the location of these objects using radar measurements. It will also help them predict their trajectory in the future. The report explains, “When two objects, such as a space debris and a satellite, are placed dangerously close to each other, the satellite operator will receive an alert. In some cases, they take avoidance maneuvers to avoid collisions. ”

However, if the positions of these space objects are not accurately tracked, as happens during these storms, it will be difficult to tell if collisions have occurred. “During the biggest storms, errors in orbit become large,” said Tom Berger, a solar physicist and director of the Center for Space Weather Technology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. to the point where, essentially, the catalog of objects in orbit is invalidated. quoted by the portal. He says objects can be tens of kilometers away from the position last identified by radar, and that makes the operator’s job impossible and this could threaten satellites. . In fact, it is a dual problem – one is losing control of the satellite and inaccurately tracking objects in space.



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