Posted on 06/04/2010 7:19:18 PM PDT by TaraP
June 4, 2010: Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that's new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th.
Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, explains what it's all about:
"The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we're getting together to discuss."
The National Academy of Sciences framed the problem two years ago in a landmark report entitled "Severe Space Weather Events—Societal and Economic Impacts." It noted how people of the 21st-century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity. A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
Much of the damage can be mitigated if managers know a storm is coming. Putting satellites in 'safe mode' and disconnecting transformers can protect these assets from damaging electrical surges. Preventative action, however, requires accurate forecasting—a job that has been assigned to NOAA.
"Space weather forecasting is still in its infancy, but we're making rapid progress," says Thomas Bogdan, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Bogdan sees the collaboration between NASA and NOAA as key. "NASA's fleet of heliophysics research spacecraft provides us with up-to-the-minute information about what's happening on the sun. They are an important complement to our own GOES and POES satellites, which focus more on the near-Earth environment."
Sorry that Photo came out GARGANTOUS!
ACE is our best early warning system,” says Bogdan. “It allows us to notify utility and satellite operators when a storm is about to hit.”
NASA spacecraft were not originally intended for operational forecasting—”but it turns out that our data have practical economic and civil uses,” notes Fisher. “This is a good example of space science supporting modern society.”
2010 marks the 4th year in a row that policymakers, researchers, legislators and reporters have gathered in Washington DC to share ideas about space weather. This year, forum organizers plan to sharpen the focus on critical infrastructure protection. The ultimate goal is to improve the nation’s ability to prepare, mitigate, and respond to potentially devastating space weather events.
“I believe we’re on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as influential in our daily lives as ordinary terrestrial weather.” Fisher concludes. “We take this very seriously indeed
NASA’s been lying to us about the weather in re Climategate. What evidence do they have that there’s going to be increased actvity?
Hmm...I smell a politically driven rat!
We’re entering a cold period...not a warming period. So now this ‘group’ warns us that the Sun is heating up. Bull shit!
A natural EMP event, in other words?
Wonder if we will now have a *Space Weather Tax*?
THE SKY IS FALLING!
We are at the beginning stages of a lengthy minimum for all anyone knows.
This is just another part of their "Global Warming" campaign ~
BP’s fault?
They proably have been meeting with the Bliderbergs and the Mayan Kings...no doubt....
B-D
2012 !
Space Weather Enterprise Forum 2010
Building an Informed and Resilient Society – the Decade Ahead
National Press Club
Washington DC
June 8, 2010
Motivation
As we approach the next peak of solar activity expected in 2013, our nation faces multiplying uncertainties from increasing reliance on space weather-affected technologies for communication, navigation, security, and other activities, many of which underpin our national infrastructure and economy. We also face increasing exposure to space weather-driven human health risk as trans-polar flights and space activities, including space tourism, increase.
Bush’s fault.
I guess I should buy an umbrella.
THE SKY IS FALLING! we’re all gonna die
Umm, what happened to the CME that hit us last week?
I don’t know about you, but I am looking for some good HF radio propogation as the sunspot cycle comes out of the minimum. Still have fond memories of working great DX during my first sunspot maximum as a Ham in the 1970’s.
NASA can take a flying leap off their own cliff. The Sun is experiencing record quiet and their current projection for this sunspot cycle is way off so far.
Admin,
Can you please fix? not sure what happened, there are 3 threads on this? I can’t get past post *7 to read..
Thank you!
Tara
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