BREAKING NEWS: The UN Braces for Space Weather Storms
UPDATE:-Asteroid 2012 DA14
NASA Television will provide commentary starting at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) on Friday, Feb. 15, during the close, flyby of a small near-Earth asteroid named 2012 DA14. NASA places a high priority on tracking asteroids and protecting our home planet from them. This flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close.
The half-hour broadcast from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., will incorporate real-time animation to show the location of the asteroid in relation to Earth, along with live or near real-time views of the asteroid from observatories in Australia, weather permitting.
RELATE ARTICLE - http://bit.ly/YKxdh8
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The Space Data Association (SDA), established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations, today announced the results of its analysis related to the imminent approach of the DA14 asteroid, concluding that there should be no satellites threatened by the asteroid.
A comparison between the asteroid trajectory and the public space catalog - shows that DA14 will come no closer than 1,000 km to any space object, and should not threaten any operational objects or create debris in any orbit. Additionally, an analysis of SDA participating satellites, GPS and GLONASS, shows that DA14 will come no closer than 3,500 miles (5,630 km) to any of those operational satellites.
FULL ARTICLE - http://bit.ly/12l0TWT
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BREAKING NEWS: The UN Braces for Space Weather Storms
Industrialized countries can keep track of local magnetism, ground currents, and ionization, and provide the data to researchers. Developing countries are where the gaps are, particularly at low latitudes around Earth's magnetic equator. With assistance from the UN, researchers may be able to extend sensor networks into regions where it was once politically unfeasible.
Strong solar storms can knock out power, disable satellites, and scramble GPS. "It's a global problem made worse by increasing worldwide reliance on sensitive electronic technologies." says Lika Guhathakurta of NASA Headquarters in Washington. Guhathakurta states: "By adding space weather to the regular agenda of the COPUOS Science and Technical Subcommittee, the UN is recognizing solar activity as a concern on par with orbital debris and close-approaching asteroids."
Space weather plays an important role in Earth's climate. For example, the Maunder minimum, a 70-year period almost devoid of sunspots in the late 17th to early 18th century, coincided with prolonged, very cold winters in the northern hemisphere. Researchers are increasingly convinced that variations in solar activity have regional effects on climate and weather that pay no attention to national boundaries, and thus can only be studied in meaningful detail by an international consortium.
"Space weather is a significant natural hazard that requires global preparedness," says Prof. Hans Haubold of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. "This new agenda item links space science and space technology for the benefit of all humankind."
FULL ARTICLE - http://bit.ly/12l16th
Comments
That will be interesting to watch NASA televise fly by of DA14.