Posted on 03/23/2010 8:39:29 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Like a story line straight out of a George Lucas film, reports are surfacing that cosmic rays may be responsible for the dangerous cases of unintended acceleration that have spurred the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles.
“Before you dismiss the cosmic ray theory, consider that the issue has been known since the 1950s, and airplane and spacecraft manufacturers design in safeguards that triple-check all data as a defense from such interference from space,” writes Autoblog. “Later, in the 1970s, researchers found that small amounts of this radiation does indeed make it down to the surface and can cause problems with small electronics like cell phones and computers.”
The possibility was brought to light by a “concerned scientist” who sent an email to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). The message, which is published in full on Jalopnik, reads: “For reasons I am unable to disclose, I am anonymously submitting several publically available scientific papers that discuss the possibility of cosmic rays disrupting electronics at sea level, essentially flipping a bit from one to zero, or vice versa. This phenomenon is a ‘soft’ error that is not detectable except through redundant electronic and communication systems. The scientific community refers to such occurrences as ‘Single Event Upsets,’ or SEUs.” The scientist goes on to state, “The reason SEUs are now relevant to the automotive industry is because electronics have gotten smaller and the required voltage levels have dropped significantly, therefore making electronics more susceptible to cosmic radiation…”
Toyota, however, denies that SEUs are to blame for reported cases of unintended acceleration. According to the Detroit Free Press: “Toyota staunchly defends its electronics, saying they were designed for ‘absolute reliability.’ Responding to the Free Press, Toyota said its systems ‘are not the same as typical consumer electronics. The durability, size, susceptibility and specifications of the automotive electronics make them robust against this type of interference.’”
Still, the NHTSA is taking the tip seriously -- adding the anonymous email to its investigation case file.
Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company's recent troubles affect our rankings. If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.
Office,Cosmic Rays drove me to drink!
That’s why I keep a set of points and condensor in my glove box, just in case.
Are they sure it isn’t dark matter or those invisible black holes all over the place causing the issue?
Climate Change???
You think maybe they struck a deal to promote this?
It’s Gremlins.
Ok who fed Mowgli after midnight?
Actually, it’s true....but unlikely to the point of being crazy.
Cosmic rays must have helped in getting Stupak and his gang to buy into Jack Squat’s EO bit and get healthcare passed..../s
CHILLING, that this is not a joke.
Riiight —the MF’ing EASTER BUNNY induced the accelerations...!
IS THERE **NOTHING** THEY THINK WE WON’T BELIEVE...?
Extremely scared!
So then who do people sue?
Yes and no. I work in the industry. Using ECC memory protects against “soft errors”. Are we saying that only Toyota neglects to use ECC memory and ECC protected ASICs, while all other car companies use them? Seems doubtful to me.
It's a hit job. Period.
Cosmic Rays. Is that a bar?
I’m wrapping my car in aluminum foil right now!
Cosmic rays can’t possibly be targeting acceleration bits, only.
Also, the likelihood of cosmic rays doing anything more to Toyota cars than all other cars is beyond unlikely.
maybe their birkenstocks are wedging the accelerator down.
Toyota owners should immediately wrap their cars in aluminum foil. It works well as a hat to protect from alien mind probes. (sarcasm)
This was posted on beericus.com forum,
http://beericus.com/index.php?topic=909.msg6032#msg6032
with an added memo from the NHTSA
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