February 2017
Growing space agency dilemma
... threats we need to start taking quite seriously. In a very real sense we are dealing with cosmic fire. A spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME) erupts from the Sun’s solar corona releasing plasma and magnetic field. The National Intelligence...
August 2017
Big science from small spacecraft
... The Sun is a massive, roiling, dynamic object at the centre of our solar system. Energetic solar flares, known as Coronal Mass Ejections, shoot out beams of high-energy electrons that can go out far into interplanetary space. As they interact...
July 2014
In thrall to a star: understanding the Sun will help us understand our own climate and environment
... Earth’s space environment. Of particular concern are the transient sudden-onset events, the solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which release huge amounts of energy in a short time, imparting much of this to the Earth’s magnetic environment and...
May 2017
Humanity is moving towards a new reality
... space hazards can threaten global prosperity. A study by Lloyd’s of London, for example, has suggested that a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun could result in a two trillion dollar hit to the North American electrical power...
September 2016
URBOCOP: saving planet Earth
.... Among these, I categorise the following seven as the most dangerous threats: Solar storms and flares, known as coronal mass ejections. Changes in Earth’s magnetosphere which result in the destruction of the protective shield that could deflect...
January 2019
Saving humanity – is space up to the job?
... a sophisticated electronic infrastructure that is highly vulnerable to cosmic dangers. Solar storms and especially coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can destroy electrical grids, telecommunication systems, pipelines, industrial control systems that run...
