Solar storm disrupts spacecraft

Posted on Tuesday, December 19 2006 @ 4:10 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck

A heavy solar storm caused some problems:

An energetic storm which erupted on the Sun has caused disruption to satellites and may have caused a glitch on the International Space Station (ISS). The solar flare interrupted signals in space and forced mission controllers to shut systems down to avoid damage to spacecraft orbiting Earth.

The flare set off a fast-moving stream of atomic particles towards Earth.

It may also have caused a fault in the system controlling the space station's orientation in space.

More info at BBC.

About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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