SUN STORMS IN 2012

'Catastrophic' sun storms possible, NASA warns

A once-in-a-century solar storm would threaten catastrophic destruction if a wor
st-case scenario event transpired, a new NASA report has found.
Governments would be powerless to curb the loss of crucial infrastructure includ
ing power grids, potable water and sewage disposal, the report said, potentially
crippling our way of life for months.
The forecast is based in part on a similarly sized solar storm that took place i
n 1859, which melted telegraph wires and ignited widespread fires in Europe and
the United States, Fox News reports.
If a repeat event happened now, scientists warn the consequences would be far mo
re serious even "potentially catastrophic" because modern technologies have made
our infrastructure more inter-reliant.
The danger lies in the sun emitting solar flares so intense that they produce ma
gnetic pulses with the force to destroy power grids by melting transformers.
The power outages could spur a series of devastating consequences:
"Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, pota
ble water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medic
ations lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioni
ng, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on," th
e report writes.
"Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost."
The sun operates on an 11-year cycle, with the next "active" phase due in 2012 l
ikely to present the nearest danger.
Though worst-case storms are only expected to occur once every hundred years, sm
aller solar flares have caused major disruptions in modern times.
In 1989, a sun storm was so powerful it blacked out the whole province of Quebec
in Canada an area almost the size of Queensland.
Another event in 2003 knocked out two satellites circling the Earth and destroye
d a piece of equipment on a Mars orbiter.
"Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," NASA spokesman Richard Fisher was qu
oted as saying.
"To mitigate possible public safety issues, it is vital that we better understan
d extreme space weather events caused by the sun's activity."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/717066/catastrophic-sun-storm...
SUN STORMS IN 2012
Electrical power grid to be blasted by 2012 solar storms
Nikola Tesla, circa. 1896.
A report issued by the National Research Council (NRC) in January 2009 has warne
d of the far reaching consequences of a solar storm hitting the Earth as the sun
becomes more active during solar cycle 24 which began in 2008 and peaks around
2012. A March 23 article in the New Scientist discussed the significance of the
NRC report which details how a solar storm could wipe out the electrical power g
rid causing massive disruption in
the U.S. and around the planet. The impact of the plasma energy directly bombard
ing the Earth during a solar storm could lead to electrical power stations being
off line for weeks and months at a time, as overworked workers try to repair ba
dly damaged electrical equipment.
According to the NRC report, this would lead to disruption of the transportation,
communication, banking, and finance systems, and government services;the breakdo
wn of the distribution of potable water owing to pump failure; and the loss of p
erishable foods and medications because of lack of refrigeration. Imagine life wi
thout running water from a tap, no refrigeration for storing food, gas for your
car, or mass transit due to the power grid being off line for months. Millions o
f Americans could subsequently die in such a scenario described by Michael Brook
s author of the New Scientist article,
Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe. Such disturbing scenarios are very
possible according to the National Research Council report. Now is the right ti
me for bold action to replace the outdated electrical power grid with a decentra
lized form of fuelless or 'new energy' generators that can be mass produced for
homes, small businesses and essential services.

A workshop was convened on May 22-23, 2008 by the Committee on the Societal and
Economic Impacts of Severe Space Weather to consider both direct and collateral e
ffects of severe space weather events, the current state of the space weather se
rvices infrastructure in the United States, the needs of users of space weather
data and services, and the ramifications of future technological developments fo
r contemporary society's vulnerability to space weather. The panel of scientists
that met and issued a report warning about the impact of a severe solar storm hi
tting the Earth based their findings on data concerning the sun becoming more ac
tive around 2012. At the time of their meeting, they did not consider what was l
ater revealed by NASA on December 16, 2008 to be a
giant hole in the Earth s magnetosphere that will last the entire 11 year duration
of cycle 24. What this means is that the low possibility discussed by the May 2
008 panel for solar storms impacting the Earth, is in fact much more likely to o
ccur around 2012 as the sun become increasingly active. Indeed, the increased po
ssibility of solar storms directly impacting the Earth due to the magnetosphere
breach will last for the next ten years.
The National Research Council report and the December 2008 NASA announcement con
cerning a rip in the magnetosphere, together point to severe solar storms direct
ly impacting the Earth and taking out the electrical power grid for extended per
iods of time around 2012, or collapsing altogether. Therefore, the U.S. and othe
r nations have only two or three years to prepare for life where a centralized e
lectrical power grid become
increasingly unreliable or disappears altogether. The need for an alternative el
ectrical power supply for the U.S. and the planet has never been more urgent. Fo
rtunately, a possible solution was supplied by an early 20th century inventor.
An innovative attempt to develop power generators independent of the centralized
electrical grid based fossil fuels are found in patents developed by the great
inventor, Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). Tesla claimed that he could harness energy f
rom the environment to power electrical devices. He said in 1933: This new power
for the driving of the world's machinery will be derived from the energy which o
perates the universe, the cosmic energy, whose central source for the earth is t
he sun and which is everywhere present in unlimited quantities.
On November 5, 1901, Tesla was granted his first patent for his 'free' or 'new e
nergy' device which he called: "Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy.
" Many inventors, inspired by Tesla s theories and patents, have claimed they have
been able to replicate and improve on his basic models. Numerous research paper
s have been written supporting the feasibility of Tesla s ideas and patents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt8Y93k0pB0
Unfortunately, many inventors of 'free energy' generators and supporters of Tesl
a s ideas have been harassed or intimidated by unknown government agencies and/or
corporate entities opposed to creation of such devices. Fuelless energy generato
rs threaten vested interests dependent on conventional fossil fuels for providin
g electricity to the general public. A number of non-governmental initiatives ar
e underway to support inventors
wanting to develop new energy generators.
These include the New Energy Movement, the New Energy Congress and the Orion Pro
ject, all of which are privately funded and seeking public assistance. The time
has arrived where inventors and organizations seeking the creation of new energy
generators need to be supported. The alternative is to watch the centralized el
ectrical power system become increasingly unreliable and even collapse as solar
storms sweep over the planet as Solar Cycle 24 moves into its active phase. Pres
ident Obama needs to urgently support an ambitious plan to develop and supply Am
erican families, small business and essential services with small scale new ener
gy generators.