Very interesting news article posted today - good thing 2011 is a long way away, and I'm sure we'll have new technology by then :) (more sensitive receivers, etc)
Quote:
14:29 29 September 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Jeff Hecht
Navigation, power and communications systems that rely on GPS satellite navigation will be disrupted by violent solar activity in 2011, research shows.
A study reveals Global Positioning System receivers to be unexpectedly vulnerable to bursts of radio noise produced by solar flares, created by explosions in the Sun's atmosphere.
When solar activity peaks in 2011 and 2012, it could cause widespread disruption to aircraft navigation and emergency location systems that rely heavily on satellite navigation data.
Particularly intense solar activity occurs roughly every 11 years due to cyclic changes to the Sun's magnetic field – a peak period known as the solar maximum.
Solar flares send charged particles crashing into the outer fringes of the Earth's atmosphere at high velocity, generating auroras and geomagnetic storms.
Radio noise
Charged particles from solar flares also produce intense bursts of radio noise, which peak in the 1.2 and 1.6 gigahertz bands used by GPS. Normally, radio noise in these bands is very low, so receivers can easily pick up weak signals from orbiting satellites.
In 2005, however, Cornell University graduate student Alessandro Cerruti discovered a puzzling failure in GPS reception while operating a receiver at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Along with Paul Kintner, from the university's electrical engineering department, Cerruti traced the problem to a radio burst induced by a solar flare. They found that GPS receivers operated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Brazilian Air Force experienced similar disruption during this burst of solar activity.
The researchers say the problem has escaped detection before because GPS systems have spread in popularity during a time of relatively low solar activity.
Drowned out
Discovering the disruption was surprising. "[Other] people will be surprised at the next solar maximum," Kintner says. Both the number and intensity of radio flares will increase and could drown out GPS signals during this period, he says.
This may be a problem for aircraft navigation. The FAA uses GPS receivers for air traffic control, which Kintner says "will certainly fail" during these intense solar flare radio bursts, which could cause signals to drop by up to 90%, for hours at a time. Although planes can fly without GPS, outages force the FAA to increase the distance between aircraft and slow take-offs and landings, delaying flights.
GPS is also used for emergency rescues and also to synchronise power grids and cellphone networks. One solution, says Kintner, would be to increase the strength of GPS signals. But this would mean redesigning GPS satellite hardware and software
Cerruti presented details of the problem at a meeting of the Institute of Navigation on 28 September. Details will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Space Weather.
eh...there *was* problems with the millennium bug. there was enough hype that a majority of it was fixed before it hit, so there wasnt any problems when the clock finally rolled midnight
eh...there *was* problems with the millennium bug. there was enough hype that a majority of it was fixed before it hit, so there wasnt any problems when the clock finally rolled midnight
In some countries industry spent a small fortune searching for the millennium bug and in others very little was spent - it made very little difference to the outcome on 1/1/2000.
Some software houses spent a lot of money on promoting the hype and managed to persuade companies to part with lots of money for new software, and associated training.
Actually:
1) There was no Millennium Bug - There was poor software coding.
2) If there was a Millennium Bug, it would occur on 1/1/2001 when the Millennium started. Not when the 1900's endded.
Actually:
1) There was no Millennium Bug - There was poor software coding.
2) If there was a Millennium Bug, it would occur on 1/1/2001 when the Millennium started. Not when the 1900's endded.
Nope, that's not right. The problem was called the Millennium bug, but it actually manifested on 1/1/2000. The failing software only had two digits for year, assuming the first two digits were 19. On those systems, on 1/1/2000 the year went to 00, or 1900. Every date calculation based on that figure would be in error.
I was on a Y2K project for a major retail organization and we did, in fact, squash many, many Y2K bugs in their systems. Because they forecasted a year in advance, we actually had to finish before 1/1/1999 so that forecasts would be correct.
Even though gps wasnt as popular in 2000-01, it was used along with other sattilite technology, for a lot farther back then that. GPS was created in the 70's according to wikipedia, but public use has only been common in the last 5 or so years.
Were we too worried about the millenium crisis then to worry about this.
Worry, worry, worry. The world is going to end in 2011-12, and according to the mayas it is supposed to end in 2005-06. <-Reseach project in school a while back...
__________________
Dell Axim X50
Windows Mobile 2003SE
Think Outside IR Keyboard
8GB CF Card (Apps, Movies)
2GB SD Card (Music)
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Best Pocket PC Freeware Sites:
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The Millennium starting on 1/1/01 was when the world was supposed to end, not a computer bug ;-)
Originally Posted by jackb_guppy
Actually:
1) There was no Millennium Bug - There was poor software coding.
2) If there was a Millennium Bug, it would occur on 1/1/2001 when the Millennium started. Not when the 1900's endded.
I think jackb_guppy was just making a joke - they incorrectly named the y2k scare a "millenium bug".
I remember walking around our corporate environment placing plastic waterproof bags over all the electronics and computers - just in case the offices sprinkler system went haywire at the stroke of midnight... talk about paranoia!
Y2K, I had to get up early, go to work on Jan 1, and check about 20 computers, I had two assistants that also checked about 20 computers each. There were several others in the office checking computers. What a mess. Oh, and before you ask, NO, I did not get extra pay for that. Maybe a thank you, ugh.
Maya calendar forecasts 2011 or 2012 would have to look it up again. I have no idea about the 2005 notice above.
It is all very interseting. All we can do is wait and see. If the world does start coming apart, you grab the closest person you would want to die with and enjoy your last time together. Even if it's just sitting and watching it all fall apart.
I am of the belief, that the world will not end, just be radically different. There will be some tramatic disasters happen, but life will go on, and life will get better. An Optimist for humanity.
Follow Us
RSS Feed
Follow on Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
