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Economic Times
3 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Space's ‘Bermuda Triangle' growing as mysterious force under Earth's outer core may cripple International Space Station, NASA perplexed
TIL Creatives NASA and other space agencies are monitoring the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), where Earth's magnetic field is weaker. This allows high-energy particles to reach closer to the surface, affecting satellites and puzzling scientists. Researchers at NASA and other space agencies have been closely tracking a growing disturbance in Earth's magnetic field, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). This phenomenon, which affects a vast region stretching over South America and the South Atlantic Ocean, has been intensifying in recent years. Earth's magnetic field is significantly weaker in the South Atlantic region, which allows high-energy particles to penetrate closer to the planet's surface. This disruption is affecting satellites and space missions and has puzzled scientists worldwide. Also Read: Bigger than 5,000 Suns; here's why this massive near-earth space cloud remained hidden till now?The South Atlantic Anomaly refers to a specific area often regarded as the 'Bermuda triangle of space,' where Earth's magnetic field is significantly weaker than elsewhere. The magnetic field is like an invisible shield that protects the planet from harmful solar radiation and charged particles from space. In the SAA region, this shield thins out, allowing high-energy particles to get much closer to the Earth's surface than usual. This doesn't directly threaten people on the ground, but it creates serious challenges for spacecraft, satellites, and astronauts passing through the area. The cause of the anomaly lies deep beneath the Earth's surface. Scientists believe it's linked to complex activity in the planet's outer core. This core is made up of molten iron and nickel, and as these materials move, they generate the Earth's magnetic field, a process known as the geodynamo. But this system isn't perfectly balanced. One contributing factor to the SAA is that the magnetic axis (the imaginary line connecting the Earth's magnetic north and south) is tilted compared to the planet's spin axis. This natural tilt weakens the field in certain places. Also Read: Nuclear war or asteroid strike will not end life on Earth; NASA-backed study reveals the real villain Another major influence is a huge, mysterious structure located about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the African continent, known as the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP). This dense mass of rock interferes with the flow of molten materials in the core and is believed to be a major reason why the magnetic field weakens in the South Atlantic region. One of the most immediate concerns with the SAA is how it affects satellites and space instruments. When satellites travel through this weakened magnetic field, they are exposed to more cosmic radiation than usual. This can cause what's known as single-event upsets (SEUs), which are temporary glitches in electronic systems caused by a hit from a high-energy particle. In more serious cases, entire systems can shut down or suffer permanent damage. Many space agencies have programmed their satellites to turn off or switch to safe mode when passing through the SAA to minimize risk. Even the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits close to the edge of the anomaly, has to take special precautions when flying through the area, as it is now under a major threat. NASA has said that the anomaly is one of the primary reasons for malfunctions in low-Earth orbiting worries scientists even more is that the anomaly isn't stable. It has been gradually moving westward and slightly expanding. In recent years, researchers observed that it is splitting into two distinct regions, each with its center of lowest magnetic strength. This development has made it harder to predict and manage the risks associated with satellite travel through the area. NASA and other space agencies are closely monitoring the situation. Tools like the European Space Agency's Swarm satellites are being used to track changes in the Earth's magnetic field and model what might happen in the future. Also Read: Sun will die in 5 billion years but life could survive on Jupiter's moon Europa; here's how While scientists don't believe the anomaly signals a complete magnetic pole reversal — something that has happened in Earth's past- they acknowledge that the magnetic field is weakening at a slow but noticeable is no immediate danger for people on the ground, as the atmosphere provides additional protection against radiation. However, the South Atlantic Anomaly indicates that the Earth's magnetic field is dynamic and still not fully understood. It poses a growing challenge for technology in space and serves as a reminder of the powerful forces at work beneath our feet. As NASA puts it, keeping a close eye on this anomaly is essential not just for science but for the safety of everything we send into space.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Could A New Big Wave Come from Underwater Mountains?
Cortes Bank, the famed and elusive wave 100 miles off the coast of California, is an anomaly. The massive peaks that have seen XXL records and near-death experiences result from a seamount — an underwater mountain with a summit below the surface. Now, scientists in a NASA-backed project say they've found up to nearly 56,000 previously unmapped underwater mountains in the planet's oceans. Mapping the ocean floor for numerous economic and environmental repercussions. Ships need to know if there are any hazards in their way. Cable-laying and mining operations have to know what's going on down there, too. Scientists are also interested in what kind of geological formations and marine ecosystems exist in the depths. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography project, a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales, used radar altimetry during a full year of satellite observations. The SWOT satellite covered about 90% of the planet every 21 days, and the seafloor map it created was published in Science in December 2024. 'The SWOT satellite was a huge jump in our ability to map the seafloor,' David Sandwell, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, told NASA. How big of a jump was this research? The satellite measured small 'bumps' on the ocean's surface caused by the subtle gravitational pull of the large seamounts below, and researchers used that data to predict the location of the underwater masses. According to their pencils, the number of mapped seamounts skyrocketed from 44,000 to nearly 100,000. That's an estimated 56,000 previously hidden peaks, uncovered just like is the next Cortes Bank still out there? Could another mountain range intercept swells and cause a titanic wave to break on the ocean's surface? Unfortunately, it's too soon to tell. This data is preliminary, and the SWOT team is still calculating the depths of each feature the satellite pinpointed. This is part of an international effort to map the entire ocean bottom by 2030. Previous research could only detect seamounts over 3,300 feet (1 kilometer) in height. The SWOT team can find features half that height. For reference, the Cortes range rises an estimated 4,000 feet from the ocean floor, and its tallest point (Bishop Rock) comes alarmingly close to the surface. It's also in a prime position to cop the brunt of massive long-period Pacific Ocean power. It's entirely possible the newly mapped seamounts don't come close enough to the surface to cause swells to break. While the scientists crunch the numbers, best keep your eyes peeled.
Business Journals
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Voyager Technologies to choose developer for OSU space park tied to Starlab
By submitting your information you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and User Agreement . Join the Columbus Business First to unlock even more insights! Ohio State University already has three spinoff companies related to its partnership with the NASA-backed coalition building the future private Starlab space station. Story Highlights Voyager Technologies plans Starlab space station launch in 2029. OSU is to host terrestrial research for the Starlab project. Voyager will soon announce a developer for the OSU lab. The private replacement for the International Space Station is several years away from launching into orbit, but related startups from Ohio State University already are taking off. Voyager Technologies, operator and majority owner of the future Starlab station, is close to announcing a real estate developer for George Washington Carver Science Park on farmland leased from OSU Airport. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Discoveries from paired space and terrestrial research could transform industries including semiconductors, agriculture, cancer research and medical devices, Neeraj Gupta, chief innovation officer of Voyager Technologies, said Wednesday at an OSU conference on Starlab progress. "Stop thinking about space as being hard. It's another platform," Gupta said. Experimental payloads aboard Starlab will have "clear paths to commercial products," he said. Voyager's job is to make that easier for corporate clients, such as artificial intelligence for more efficient planning and data gathering. "There has to be a bottom-line reason to do research in space," he said. Voyager is choosing among "four compelling proposals" for facility and campus development concepts on property leased from OSU, said John Horack, professor and aerospace policy chairman in a joint appointment at OSU's engineering and public affairs colleges. An announcement is expected within a few months and construction could start about a year after that. Trustees approved a lease for 10 acres in 2023, but the total site south of Dublin Granville Road could reach 80 acres, according to notes for a student design competition last year. Starlab research is underway in a 7,000-square-foot garage owned by Ohio State's agricultural college. The work has already led to three spinoffs and Carver Park will generate more startups and attract companies to Central Ohio, Horack said Wednesday. "We're making new companies. They will create products of value," he said. "Maybe we will create entire new industries here." Ohio State plans experiments soon to test a type of welding in microgravity, he said. Tests will be conducted aboard parabolic flights, a technique that creates about 22 seconds of weightlessness, according to NASA. Welding is not currently possible in space, Horack said, so finding a working technique would allow building much bigger structures at much less expense than before. Starlab Space LLC aims to launch its space station in 2029, the Houston Business Journal reported last month. The International Space Station is expected to be retired by the end of the decade. Denver-based Voyager and its Houston-based operating subsidiary Nanoracks created Starlab as a joint venture. Commercial partners include Airbus, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, MDA Space, Hilton and Palantir Technologies. The coalition picked Ohio State for the terrestrial component in 2022. Voyager and the university signed a memorandum of understanding this February, setting the framework for research and potential commercialization, according to a press release. Starlab also has an innovation park in Switzerland and is considering sites in Japan, according to a release. Experiments aboard the space station will run duplicates at the OSU lab as a control group. The park also will be the site for training crews, preparing experiments and processing samples when they return. Researchers also can conduct practice runs to perfect experimental designs. "You can't get to space and wing it," Horack said. One of the spinoffs, Spaero Systems, was founded by Ohio State undergraduate brothers, engineering senior Ian Harris and business freshman Nikolas Harris. They are developing a plasma wand for sterilizing surfaces, protecting astronauts from infections in the closed environment. The Starlab partnership will help OSU keep aeronautics graduates from leaving Central Ohio for space-related work, Horack said. The park has attracted other corporate partners. Blue Abyss and Nexture Bio are among companies agreeing to perform outreach and education at OSU for elementary students and up, according to a release. Blue Abyss researches technologies to enable humans to travel and live in extreme space and marine environments. Nexture develops enabling technologies for cultivated meat.
