Solar flares cause GPS failures
SOLAR FLARES are accompanied by solar radio bursts.
Because the bursts occur over the same frequency bands at which GPS satellites transmit, receivers can become confused, leading to a loss of signal.
Strong solar flares cause Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to fail, Cornell researchers have discovered.
Generally unpredictable
Because solar flares — larger-than-normal radiation `burps' by the sun — are generally unpredictable, such failures could be devastating for `safety-of-life' GPS operations.
Alessandro Cerruti, a graduate student accidentally discovered the effect on Sept. 7, 2005, while operating a GPS receiver at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, one of six Cornell Scintillation Monitor (SCINTMON) receivers according to a Cornell University press release.
Transmitting receiver
"Soon the FAA will require that every plane have a GPS receiver transmitting its position to air traffic controllers on the ground," warned Cerruti.
"But suppose one day you are on an aircraft and a solar radio burst occurs. There's an outage, and the GPS receiver cannot produce a location. ... It's a nightmare situation."
Hence it best if one is aware of the problem and operate GPS systems with the knowledge that they may fail during a solar flare. — Our Bureau
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