Posted on 02/20/2021 8:56:06 AM PST by MtnClimber
A strange dent in Earth’s magnetic field doses orbiting craft with high levels of radiation. It's caused everything from periodic glitches to total mission failure.
The European Space Agency’s Swarm satellites measure the strength of Earth’s magnetic field. In this image, cooler colors (blue) mean lower strength than warmer colors (pink). The large dark region is called the South Atlantic Anomaly
Radiation is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless enemy to both humans and electronics alike. And, thanks to a quirk in Earth’s magnetic field, a region called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) regularly exposes orbiting spacecraft to high levels of dangerous particles.
Over the years, the SAA has been responsible for several spacecraft failures and even dictates when astronauts can and can’t perform spacewalks. As the space around Earth becomes filled with an increasing number of craft, what does the SAA mean for the future of spaceflight?
A magnetic anomaly
Earth’s magnetic field is the result of a self-sustaining process called a geodynamo. As molten iron sloshes around our planet’s outer core, it generates massive electrical currents that, in turn, create and reinforce the magnetic field. Earth’s magnetic field itself extends tens of thousands of miles into space, and the area in which the magnetic field interacts with charged particles is called the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere protects life on Earth by deflecting solar wind and cosmic rays, which would otherwise strip away much of the atmosphere, among other detrimental effects.
But not all incoming particles are deflected. Some instead become trapped in two doughnut-shaped regions called the Van Allen Radiation Belts. The inner of the two Van Allen Belts sits an average of about 400 miles (645 kilometers) above the surface of Earth. But the Van Allen Belts are located symmetrically about Earth’s magnetic axis, which is not perfectly aligned with Earth’s rotational axis. The result: The Belts’ distance from Earth’s surface varies around the globe.
The SAA is the region where the inner Van Allen Belt dips closest to Earth — a mere 120 miles (190 km) above the surface. At that altitude, spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) may periodically pass through the SAA, exposing them (and, in the case of manned missions, their occupants) to large amounts of trapped high-energy particles — i.e., potentially damaging doses of radiation.
Lost craft
Radiation from the SAA has undoubtedly affected spacecraft, sometimes leading to their doom. One notable example is the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) X-ray Astronomy Satellite. Also called Hitomi, it was launched into LEO in February 2016 to study high-energy X-rays from extreme processes throughout the universe.
But JAXA lost all contact with the probe on March 26 of that same year. Shortly after, the U.S. Joint Space Operations Center publicly confirmed that it had seen Hitomi break up into at least five pieces. And the largest piece was tumbling, eventually dislodging even more fragments. Hitomi, which had cost upwards of $270 million, was a total loss.
Slide -— That “hole” used to be over Australia IIRC
They called it a “hole in the ozone layer caused by CFC build-up”, it was the prelude to a huge media blitz on the fact all people in Australia were subjected to super high UV so from then on they had everyone running about crying “cover up”
Weird how the “hole moved”
Back on subject, how did all those spacecraft and manned craft that flew outside the “NOW 400 mile save zone” not cook like eggs on a hotplate. seeing that the radiation zone is so thick and 100% lethal??
And how are all those satellites “orbiting” our planet not going anywhere near these anomalies? hmmmssss
Blessings
You should research THE GRAND SOLAR MINIMUM and if the predictions are correct, look for the next 30 years to be MUCH COLDER than normal.
So far, the sunspot minimums are continuing to this year.
And if Dumba$$ Bill Gates does his deploy a solar reflector in orbit idea, expect Texas to have July frosts. You can't make this stuff up, liberals are much dumber than dumb.
ARTICLE: Harvard’s Plan To Block Excessive Sunlight Is A Great Idea, Says Bill Gates
I would not say that this zone is 100% lethal. Satellite component selection is used and latch-up detection and recovery circuits can be used. Another technique is to power down susceptible circuitry before entering this area and powering back up once through it. Satellites have to fly through that area all the time.
Agreed and thank you for the additional info Friend
Blessings
Lloyd Bridges. Yeah, that was a good one, too
Thanks
Oh, yeah, that's a great idea. Let's cause crop failures and severe damage to the ecosystem by decreasing the amount of sunlight for photosynthesis.
Oh, and by decreasing photosynthesis, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will increase because plants can no longer convert it to the biomolecules that are the basis of all life.
I wonder, do the idiots coming up with these schemes ever consult with life scientists who understand the biosphere and the carbon cycle?
I’m thinking maybe don’t try to catch a tan on the beaches between Rio de Jeneiro and Mar del Plata.
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