cobalt pet shortwave / mediumwave weblog

20 August 2006

ionosphere at risk over satellite protection

The US Air Force and the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have proposed using very low frequency radio waves to flush particles from radiation "belts" above Earth and dump them into the upper atmosphere over either one or several days.

This deluge of dumped charged particles would temporarily change the ionosphere from a "mirror" that bounced high frequency radio waves around the planet to a "sponge" that soaked them up, Dr Craig Rodger of Otago University's physics department, said.

Full article: US satellite plan 'will knock out Pacific radio links'

Source: kimandrewelliott.com

1 comment:

Firestarter5 said...

"The US "radiation belt remediation" was intended to protect hundreds of low earth-orbiting satellites from having their onboard electronics ruined by charged particles in unusually intense radiation belts "pumped up" by powerful solar storms -- or small nuclear weapons deliberately exploded in the atmosphere to disrupt communications.

What? When the hell was the last time someone exploded a nuke in the atmosphere? Oh wait, I forgot, this is along the same lines as Condi Rice warning us of mushroom clouds over North America. Idiots.