Space
“Bermuda Triangle of Space” causes ISS computers to crash
(Planet-Today) A weak spot in Earth’s magnetic field called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) has been causing computers aboard the International Space Station to crash.
Sometimes called the “Bermuda Triangle of Space,” this weak spot is a vast expanse of reduced intensity in Earth’s magnetic field, hovering over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean.
(Article by Virgilio Marin republished from NaturalNews.com)
While humans on the ground are safe from the effects of the SAA, ISS computers and satellites in orbit around Earth are not so lucky. When they pass through the anomaly, they get bombarded with high levels of radiation that mess up with their components.
The effects of the South Atlantic Anomaly
Earth’s magnetic field plays an important role in sustaining life on Earth. With an altitude of between 620 and 37,000 miles above the planet’s surface, it protects humans from harmful radiation and prevents the atmosphere from leaking into space, among many other things.
But a portion of the magnetic field, the SAA, is weaker than the rest. This weak spot is caused by two features of Earth’s core: The tilt of its magnetic axis and the flow of molten metals within its outer core. These churning metals act as a massive generator that creates electric currents that produce the magnetic field. But as the core motion changes over time, the magnetic field fluctuates too. This, coupled with the tilt of the magnetic axis, generates the SAA.
The anomaly permits charged particles to dip closer into Earth, potentially disrupting objects high up in the sky.
“[The] lower geomagnetic field intensity eventually results in a greater vulnerability of satellites to energetic particles, to the point that spacecraft damage could occur as they traverse the area,” John Tarduno, professor of geophysics at the University of Rochester, explained.
“Think about an electrical discharge or arc. With more incoming radiation, a satellite can become charged, and attendant arcs can result in serious damage,” he continued.
Low-orbit satellites are particularly vulnerable because the SAA has a lower altitude – at around 310 miles above Earth’s surface. In the early days of the ISS, which recently was orbiting around 220 miles aboveground, computers would typically crash and space agencies would be forced to shut down their onboard systems to prevent total damage.
“Putting equipment into a ‘safe mode’ means operations that are more vulnerable to radiation are curtailed,” said Tarduno.
The SAA affects not only machines but also astronauts. Some reported seeing odd white lights flashing before their eyes when they were entering the anomaly.
To protect astronauts, the most frequently occupied parts of the ISS, such as the gallery and the sleeping quarters, are covered with strong shielding to reduce radiation levels entering the space station. Astronauts also wear dosimeters, devices that measure their personal exposure to ionizing radiation in real-time and send out a warning if they reach dangerous levels.
Space machines affected by the SAA
Even now, space machines still occasionally suffer the effects of the SAA. The anomaly sometimes causes “blips” (loss of data) and resets the power boards of some ISS instruments about once a month.
The Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits Earth at an altitude of around 350 miles, is unable to collect astronomical data in each of the 10 times it passes through the SAA every day. If it continues operating during these periods, it will likely break down completely.
Damage to space machines can prove costly, as shown by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency‘s satellite Hitomi. Just over a month after its launch in February 2016, operators lost contact with Hitomi and the latter eventually broke apart into several pieces. The satellite cost JAXA about $273 million and three years of extensive studies.
Experts later learned that the problem was due to erroneous information sent by the spacecraft.
The SAA could pose more problems in the future as recent studies show that it is getting weaker. It lost nearly 10 percent of its strength in the last two centuries. Experts also posit that the SAA may be splitting or perhaps another weak spot is emerging independently and merging with it.
Learn more about the perils of a “field-free” Earth at Disaster.news.
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According to NASA, a rogue, hyper-speed object, which is over
27,306 times the size of Earth, is hurtling so fast through our galaxy
that it might break free of the Milky Way.
Scientists say they have determined that the mysterious object was
cruising at a breakneck one million miles per hour when they spotted it
more than 400 light years from Earth. One light-year is equal to six
trillion miles.
Could this latest find be connected to the fake alien invasion that has long been in the pipeline?
The Mail Online reorts: While experts have not determined what the newfound celestial body is, they speculated it is a ‘brown dwarf,’ a star which is larger than a planet but lacks the mass to sustain long-term nuclear fusion in its core like Earth’s sun.
If the object confirmed as a brown dwarf, it would be first-ever to
be documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit capable of breaking free
from our home galaxy.
A coalition of citizen-scientists with NASA’s ‘Backyard Worlds: Planet 9’ projectwere the first to spot the celestial body, the US space agency confirmed this week.
‘I can’t describe the level of excitement,’ German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a long-time member of NASA’s Backyard Worlds program, said in statement.
‘When I first saw how fast it was moving,’ the Nuremberg-based
researcher confessed, ‘I was convinced it must have been reported
already.’
Backyard Worlds citizen-scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle
and Dan Caselden were the first to spot this million mph object a few
years ago, earning the hyper-speed object the catalogued name CWISE
J124909.08+362116.0.
According to astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer,
who has collaborated with them on better understanding the object,
several astrophysics theories could explain how the object, CWISE J1249
for short, could have gotten to its incredible speed.
In one theory, CWISE J1249 rocketed out of a two star or binary star
system after its ‘white dwarf’ sister star died off — collapsing in an
explosive runaway nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova.
Another viable theory has it that CWISE J1249 originated inside a
tight cluster of starts called a ‘globular cluster’ where it was flung
free via the pull of a black hole.
‘When a star encounters a black hole binary,’ Dr Kremer said in a
NASA statement on the discovery, ‘the complex dynamics of this
three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular
cluster.’
Sławosz Uznański will be the second Pole in space and the first to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
Uznański revealed that his mission to the ISS is planned for 2025 and will last about two weeks. He will launch from Cape Canaveral on a rocket provided by SpaceX. This journey not only represents a significant milestone for Uznański but also for Polish space exploration.
Last year, Uznański was officially selected for this mission, after which he commenced his training at the European Space Agency’s facility in Cologne, Germany. Initially planned for 2024, the mission faced delays, but new details have recently emerged on Uznański’s social media profiles.
During his two-week stay on the ISS, he will focus on Polish scientific projects and technology tests, including artificial intelligence applications in space and studies on the effects of microgravity on the human immune system.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) received numerous project proposals for Uznański’s mission. Due to limited space, only seven were selected, highlighting the extensive interest and potential impact of this mission.
Uznański will travel to the ISS in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a vehicle regularly used by NASA for transporting astronauts. The Crew Dragon will be mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket, with the launch also set to take place at Cape Canaveral. While the exact launch date is yet to be confirmed, preparations are in full swing.
In a move to further his training, Uznański has relocated to Houston, Texas. Starting Monday, he will begin a new training phase at Axiom Space, a partner in the mission, followed by sessions at NASA and SpaceX facilities. This mission not only propels Uznański into space but also significantly advances Poland’s stature in the global aerospace sector.
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