Topline<\/p>\n
A fleet of spacecraft could one day be used to geoengineer space, fortifying Earth\u2019s magnetic field and deliberately weakening solar superstorms before they strike Earth, according to a provocative study published<\/a> in Space Weather. The aim would be to mitigate the effects of a solar superstorm, which could trigger massive power grid failures, global GPS outages, the destruction of thousands of satellites, and prolonged internet and communication blackouts, according to The Planetary Society<\/a>. However, such a technology could also potentially dampen displays of the northern lights<\/a>. The paper \u2014 essentially a thought experiment \u2014 suggests that satellites could release clouds of gas into Earth\u2019s magnetosphere to soften the impact of incoming clouds of charged particles from the sun. \u201cWhile humans become more reliant on Earth’s space environment, the potential for significant harm from severe space weather continues to grow,\u201d states the paper, whose authors call the concept \u201cStormWall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStormWall\u201d would use spacecraft to release plasma-forming material into Earth\u2019s magnetosphere to reduce geomagnetic storm intensity, but the same system designed to protect satellites, power grids and communications could also dampen auroral displays.<\/p>\n gettyKey Facts<\/p>\n StormWall proposes releasing clouds of gas in the path of a coronal mass ejection \u2014 a cloud of charged particles from the sun. Once ionized by sunlight, the gas would become plasma.<\/p>\n Plasma is the highly energetic fourth state of matter, after solid, liquid and gas. It conducts electricity and reacts strongly to magnetic and electromagnetic fields \u2014 such as those found in the solar wind.<\/p>\n By increasing plasma density in Earth\u2019s magnetosphere \u2014 the planet\u2019s giant magnetic shield \u2014 StormWall could make Earth\u2019s magnetic shield harder to disturb, the researchers argue.<\/p>\n StormWall is inspired by a natural process that already occurs during major geomagnetic storms. Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere releases oxygen ions into space, adding mass to the magnetic field.<\/p>\n The diagram of The Magnetosphere of the Earth<\/p>\n gettyHow \u2018StormWall\u2019 would work<\/p>\n In simulations of the powerful May 2024 geomagnetic storm, six spacecraft released a barium-like gas for 14 hours. The model showed major reductions in storm intensity. The intensity of a major geomagnetic storm could be reduced by 50% or more, according to the research. \u201cSince humans have been in space, we\u2019ve been trying to predict what\u2019s going to happen in the space environment,\u201d said<\/a> research lead Brian Walsh, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Boston University\u2019s College of Engineering. \u201cBut we came up with a model that could flip the paradigm. It\u2019s like people in a village who see a river flooding \u2014 maybe they can predict when that will happen, but probably what\u2019s even better is if they could build a storm wall. That\u2019s what we\u2019re proposing here.\u201d Walsh and his colleagues state that a massive once-in-a-century geomagnetic storm would cause devastating damage in space and on Earth, with power grid costs alone topping $2.4 trillion.<\/p>\n Preventing Another Carrington Event<\/p>\n A great example of the kind of solar event StormWall would be designed to mitigate is the so-called Carrington Event on Sept. 1-2, 1859. A solar superstorm, it was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history. \u201cIt generated reports of auroras from Panama, Colombia, Hawaii and the Caribbean,\u201d said Tom Kerss, astronomer, astrophotographer and author of Northern Lights: The Definitive Guide to Auroras<\/a>, in an interview. \u201cThat was an extraordinary opportunity to witness something exotic, but it wasn\u2019t entirely harmless \u2014 telegraph operators received electric shocks, and some short-lived fires occurred.\u201d Critically, the Carrington Event of 1859 occurred just before modern electrical infrastructure existed. An event of that magnitude today could be \u201csignificantly more damaging due to knock-on effects from widespread power loss,\u201d according to Kerrs.<\/p>\n Could \u2018StormWall\u2019 Dim The Northern Lights?<\/p>\n Because auroras are powered by charged particles and electrical currents in Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere, weakening a geomagnetic storm could also reduce the brightness and reach of the northern lights. \u201cIt\u2019s an extraordinary thought that one day, an event that would spark global aurora sightings could be mitigated by human hands, but there\u2019s an argument to be made for investigating the feasibility of such an intervention,\u201d said Kerss. \u201cIt\u2019s helpful to keep in mind that magnificent aurora experiences are available even without such severe geomagnetic storms,\u201d said Kerss. \u201cThe storms that bring the Northern Lights to the U.K. and lower 48 states aren\u2019t dangerous enough to warrant mitigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Practical Questions<\/p>\n The proposed system would require an enormous but not impossible amount of material. In the May 2024 simulation, the spacecraft released about 384 tons of gas. Including tanks and spacecraft buses, the full payload would total more than 436 tons in geosynchronous orbit. The researchers suggest this could be within the reach of current or near-future heavy-lift launch systems. However, the concept faces major practical and environmental questions. Launching that much material into orbit would be expensive. More importantly, scientists do not yet know the full consequences of injecting hundreds of tons of ionized gas into Earth\u2019s magnetosphere. \u201cProtecting satellites by other means is probably cheaper and easier to engineer,\u201d said Kerss.<\/p>\n Further readingForbesNorthern Lights Forecast: Aurora Possible In 19 States On Monday NightBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesIn Photos: \u2018Strawberry Moon\u2019 Lights Up Night Sky Around The WorldBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes50 Days To A Total Solar Eclipse \u2014 Where And When To Experience ItBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesHow To Watch A Massive Mile-Wide Asteroid This Weekend During A Rare FlybyBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesChina Is About To Land On Earth\u2019s \u2018Mini-Moon\u2019 \u2014 What To KnowBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline A fleet of spacecraft could one day be used to geoengineer space, fortifying Earth\u2019s magnetic field and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[20743,75866,14417,52476,20500,25685,79,65731,953,1513,300672],"class_list":["post-745044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-aurora","tag-cme","tag-coronal-mass-ejections","tag-geomagnetic-storms","tag-magnetic-field","tag-northern-lights","tag-science","tag-solar-storms","tag-space-weather","tag-spacex","tag-stormwall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}