Space Weather: From Solar Storms to the Technical Challenges of the Space Age

Abstract This paper applies existing information on solar storms to unmanned aviation; no new research data is presented. The purpose of this paper is to alert the unmanned aviation community to the potential hazards posed by solar storms, to familiarise it with the effects of solar storms and how to mitigate them, and to encourage research on solar storm effects on high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft and airship design and operations. As unmanned aircraft and airships move increasingly into high altitude (50,000+ft), endurance (24+ hr) roles, they will become vulnerable to the effects of space weather, specifically that of solar storms. Although solar storms are commonly associated with their impact on satellites, they affect the routing and timing of airline flights flying for six to eight hours at 30,000 to 40,000ft. Operating twice as high and with flight times twice as long (or longer) than those of airliners, HALE aircraft and airships occupy a middle zone of vulnerability, being more so than airliners but less so than satellites. A key difference however is that satellites are designed for space weather, whereas some current HALE vehicles are not. The paper concludes that unmanned HALE aircraft and airships can be one to three orders of magnitude more vulnerable to solar storms than a trans-Pacific airliner.

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Protecting Earth from Solar Storms

Eos ◽

10.1029/2015eo029633 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JoAnna Wendel

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Task Force ◽

National Strategy ◽

Public Comment ◽

Solar Storms

A task force on space weather recently released a national strategy to reduce damage resulting from solar storms. The plan is now open for public comment.

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How to Improve Space Weather Forecasting

Eos ◽

10.1029/2020eo145780 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 101 ◽

Author(s):

Mark Zastrow

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Weather Forecasting ◽

Space Weather Forecasting ◽

Solar Storms

The field of space weather forecasting could take cues from its Earthly counterpart to increase the reliability of models as well as warning times ahead of inbound solar storms.

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SOLSTICE: Space Weather Modeling Meets Machine Learning

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5224 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tamas Gombosi ◽

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Space Weather ◽

High Performance ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Grand Challenge ◽

Science Data ◽

Modeling Framework ◽

Weather Modeling ◽

Solar Storms

The last decade has truly witnessed the rise of the machine age. The enormous expansion of technology that can generate and&#160;manipulate massive amounts of information has transformed all aspects of society. Missions such as SDO and MMS, and numerical models such as the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) are now routinely generating terabytes of science data, far beyond what can be analyzed directly by humans. Fortunately, concurrent with this explosion in information has come the development of powerful capabilities, such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), that can retrieve revolutionary new understanding and utility from the massive data sets.&#160;SOLSTICE (Solar Storms and Terrestrial Impacts Center) is a recently selected NASA/NSF DRIVE Center. It&#160;will serve as the vanguard for&#160;developing and applying ML methods, which will then raise the capabilities of the entire community. We will combine&#160;next generation ML technology with our world-leading numerical models and the exquisite data from the space missions to make&#160;breakthrough advances in Heliophysics understanding and space weather capabilities, and then transition our technology to the&#160;CCMC for the benefit of all.We use ML to attack Grand Challenge Problems that cover the major aspects of space weather science:&#160;(i) use interpretable deep learning models, archived solar observations and high-performance physics-based simulations to identify the&#160;onset mechanism of solar flares and coronal mass ejections; and&#160;(ii) use high-cadence observations and physics-based feature learning to predict solar storms many hours before eruption, training&#160;time-to-event models to predict event times and flare magnitudes using innovative machine learning techniques.

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Space Weather Forecasting Takes Inspiration from Meteorology

Eos ◽

10.1029/2020eo143927 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 101 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Stanley

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Weather Forecasting ◽

Atmospheric Waves ◽

Space Weather Forecasting ◽

Solar Storms

Solar features analogous to major atmospheric waves on Earth could offer more advanced warning of harmful solar storms.

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Space Weather effects on Mars’ ionosphere: From our current knowledge to the way forward

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-7422 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Beatriz Sánchez-Cano

Keyword(s):

Solar Wind ◽

Space Weather ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Neutral Atmosphere ◽

Orbital Eccentricity ◽

Large Space ◽

Weather Events ◽

Martian Ionosphere ◽

Solar Storms ◽

Upstream Solar Wind

Planetary Space Weather is an emerging topic of increasing interest. Forecast this planetary space weather, however, is currently very challenging mainly due to the lack of continuous solar wind observations for each planet. In the particular case of Mars, understanding the ionospheric behaviour following Space Weather activity is essential in order to assess the response of the Martian plasma environment to the dissipation of energy from solar storms. Moreover, it gives information on the effects on the current technology deployed on the red planet. Despite the recent considerable exploration, however, there is still no continuous upstream solar wind observations at Mars. This fact makes the analysis of the different Martian plasma datasets challenging, relying on solar wind models and upstream solar wind observations at 1 AU (e.g. at Earth&#8217;s L1 point, STEREO, etc.) when Mars and those satellites are in apparent opposition or perfectly aligned in the Parker spiral.This lecture will focus on our current knowledge of the Martian ionosphere, which is the layer that links the neutral atmosphere with space, and acts as the main obstacle to the solar wind. In particular, I will focus on our recent advances in the understanding of the Martian ionospheric reaction to different Space Weather events during the solar cycle, both from the data analysis and ionospheric modelling perspectives. Some important aspects to consider are the bow shock, magnetic pileup boundary, and ionopause characterization, as well as the behaviour of the topside and bottomside of the ionosphere taking into account the planet&#8217;s orbital eccentricity. Moreover, I will show the effect of electron precipitation from large Space Weather events in the very low Martian ionosphere, a region that it is non-accessible to in-situ spacecraft observations. Finally, I will conclude the presentation by giving my perspective on some of the key outstanding questions that remain unknown, and I consider they constitute the next generation of Mars&#8217; ionospheric and Space Weather science and exploration.

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INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC SOLAR STORMING EVENTS ON GNSS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS / CHARAKTERINGŲ SAULĖS AUDRŲ POVEIKIO GLOBALINEI NAVIGACINEI PALYDOVINEI SISTEMAI TYRIMAS

Aviation ◽

10.3846/16487788.2011.596675 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 44-48

Author(s):

Vilma Zubinaitė ◽

George Preiss

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Single Point ◽

Space Environment ◽

Navigation Systems ◽

Technological Systems ◽

Adverse Conditions ◽

Gps Satellites ◽

Global Positioning ◽

Solar Storms ◽

Southern Norway

Global positioning system (GPS) satellites operate at 1.2 and 1.5 GHz. The GPS signals travel through the atmosphere and are affected by space weather in the same way as other technological systems in space and on the ground. Space weather has been defined as the condition where the sun influences solar wind, the magnetosphere, and the ionosphere and thus can upset the performance and reliability of space borne and ground based technological systems. Adverse conditions in the space environment can cause disruption of satellite operations, communications, and navigation. Solar storms can add small delays to the GPS satellite signals and therefore impact accuracy. The purpose of this article is to investigate and to determine the effects of specific solar events on GNSS navigation systems. In parts of the Nordic countries, GPS is available with a precision of 1 centimetre through an auxiliary system of permanent tracking stations called position accuracy on the centimetre level (CPOS). This paper discusses the possible effects of space weather activity and uses these tracked data to investigate the effect of specific solar storms on single point positioning. Comparisons are made between the effects in northern and southern Norway. Santrauka Pasaulinės padėties nustatymo sistemos palydovų signalai transliuojami 1,2 ir 1,5 GHz dažniu. Juos veikia kosmoso oras, kartu daroma įtaka ir kitai techninei sistemai tiek erdvėje, tiek ant žemės paviršiaus. Kosminis oras apibrėžiamas kaip būsena. Jo sąlygos daugiausia priklauso nuo tokių Saulės reiškinių, kaip Saulės vėjas ir Saulės vainiko masės čiurkšlės. Dėl šių priežasčių gali būti sutrikdytas antžeminių technologijų sistemų našumas ir patikimumas. Neigiamos sąlygos kosminėje erdvėje gali sukelti palydovų darbo, ryšių ir navigacijos sutrikimų. Šio straipsnio tikslas – ištirti ir nustatyti charakteringų Saulės audrų poveikį globalinei navigacinei palydovinei sistemai. Kai kuriose Skandinavijos šalyse (Norvegijoje, Danijoje, Suomijoje, Švedijoje) globalinės navigacinės palydovinės sistemos paslaugos suteikia galimybių nustatyti padėtis vieno centimetro tikslumu, taikant pagalbinių nuolatinių stebėjimo stočių tinklus. Šiame straipsnyje aptariama galima kosminio oro sąlygų įtaka antžeminio taško padėties nustatymo tikslumui. Pateikiami tyrimo rezultatai ir lyginimai analizuojant Šiaurės Norvegijos ir Pietų Norvegijos nuolatinių stebėjimo stočių matavimų rezultatus.

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The Response of the Martian Atmosphere to Space Weather

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921317010924 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (S335) ◽

pp. 114-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David A. Brain

Keyword(s):

Solar Wind ◽

Space Weather ◽

Martian Atmosphere ◽

Ion Escape ◽

Auroral Electron ◽

Planetary Magnetic Fields ◽

Variable Space ◽

Solar Storms ◽

Mass Ejection ◽

Insight Into

AbstractMars lacks a global dynamo magnetic field to shield it from the solar wind and solar storms, so may be especially sensitive to changing space weather compared to Earth. Inputs from the Sun and solar wind have been measured continuously at Mars for 20 years, and intermittently for more than 50 years. Observations of the influence of the variable space weather at Mars include compression and reconfiguration of the magnetosphere in response to solar storms, increased likelihood of aurora and increased auroral electron energies, increased particle precipitation and ionospheric densities during flare and energetic particle events, and increased ion escape during coronal mass ejection events. Continuing measurements at Mars provide a useful vantage point for studying space weather propagation into the heliosphere, and are providing insight into the evolution of the Martian atmosphere and the role that planetary magnetic fields play in helping planets to retain habitable conditions near their surface.

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The Infrastructure Impacts of Solar Storms

Eos ◽

10.1029/2019eo135665 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 100 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Gannon

Keyword(s):

Space Weather ◽

Power Engineering ◽

Geomagnetically Induced Currents ◽

Induced Currents ◽

Solar Storms

A new book brings together insights from the space weather, geophysics, and power engineering communities to understand the characteristics and impacts of geomagnetically induced currents.

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