The world’s first-ever emergency drill testing preparedness for extreme space weather suggests humans are not ready to counter the threat posed by severe solar storms.
Several US agencies, including the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), conducted a first-of-its-kind exercise to better understand human preparedness against an impending solar superstorm.
Solar storms are a flux of charged particles flung from the Sun, which could cause widespread power outages, radio blackout on Earth, as well as satellite malfunction and expose astronauts in space to harmful radiation.
Coincidentally, one of the most extreme space weather events in over two decades struck Earth during the time of this exercise in May last year.
The G5 category Gannon storm struck Earth on 10 May 2024, causing spectacular auroras as well as power blackouts in several parts of the world, and affected satellites in low Earth orbit.
Researchers tested the US government’s interagency coordination, response protocols, and communications across several industry and critical infrastructure sectors.
The analysis marks an important milestone in testing the nation’s preparedness for severe space weather.
Space weather experts engaged in several hypothetical scenarios simulating solar events with effects on Earth and the space between Earth and the Moon.
They simulated intense radiation exposure to satellites, astronauts, and commercial aviation, power outages affecting railways and pipelines, as well as outages causing reduced ability to communicate with satellites.
“This critical exercise provided awareness to senior government leaders while highlighting key research and observational gaps as well as best communication practices on the important topic of space weather,” said Ian Cohen, deputy chief scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland.
The report highlights the need for better coordination between agencies to produce meaningful and understandable space weather notifications.
It also emphasises the importance of federal-regional-state-level coordination and awareness to ensure a streamlined and rapid response.
Previous research suggests it is hard to predict the exact makeup and effects of a particular solar storm until it is about a million miles from Earth, where it would be only about 15 to 45 minutes away from striking the planet.
Scientists call for placing more advanced spacecraft closer to the Sun for earlier warning of impending solar storms.
They also highlight the need for a national space weather education campaign to raise awareness of risks and improve public understanding.
“Ongoing preparedness efforts for a space weather event are crucial because an extreme event has the potential to severely impact our nation’s critical infrastructure and threaten our national security,” scientists wrote.
“Just as we prepare for earthquakes, hurricanes and cyberattacks, our nation must take action before a major space weather event occurs,” the report noted.
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