Friday, November 5, 2010

Solar Shield

We have posted in the past about the rise in solar storms that are expected to peak in 2012. The last time we had storms of this expected magnitude was the late 1800's when the country was operating without electricity. This time the country is 100% reliant on electricity....and having it knocked out for weeks or months could cause anarchy and destruction, the likes of which this country has never seen.

So what are we to do about it? NASA is going to build a shield and make a plan!! Yeah NASA!!

They’re out there, biding their time. Waiting patiently. And when you least expect it, they’re going to plunge you and everyone you care about into total darkness. Luckily, we can see solar storms coming from about 93 million miles away, and NASA is now in the process of creating a “Solar Shield” that should be able to minimize the damage to power grids caused by electromagnetic disturbances in the atmosphere and ground caused by foul weather on the sun.

The threat to power grids during bad solar weather is known as GIC, or geomagnetically induced current. When the sun ejects a huge coronal mass in our direction, the impact with our atmosphere shakes up Earth’s magnetic field. That generates electric currents from the upper atmosphere all the way down to the ground. These can cripple power grids, overloading circuits and in some cases melting heavy-duty transformers.

Those transformers are very necessary to keep the power flowing. They’re also expensive, irreparable in the field, and can take a year to replace. Meaning that a massive coronal ejection could knock down entire power grids for long stretches of time, grinding economies to a halt and making life more than a little inconvenient.

See it here; http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/nasa-building-solar-shield-protect-power-grids-space-weather

Oh yeah,....pay attention to this last paragraph;

Solar Shield is experimental at this point, and its hard to know how successful it will be, mainly because it hasn’t had the trial by fire it needs to see if it works. Solar weather has been fairly quiet this year, so the team hasn’t been able to gather the data it needs. But considering we’re going into a period of increased solar activity (solar weather ebbs and flows cyclically) that will peak in 2013, Solar Shield will likely get its chance soon enough.

What??? There has been no trial by fire??? You mean this whole plan may only HYPOTHETICALLY WORK??

That's just great.

Maybe we should all try praying to the Creator of the universe, humbling ourselves and seeking His face. Maybe then He would hear our prayers in heaven and would protect us, preserve us and even heal our land.

That's a novel idea.

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