NASA Prepares for Potentially Damaging 2011 Meteor Shower

[Ian David]

NASA Prepares for Potentially Damaging 2011 Meteor Shower
By Leonard David
SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
posted: 16 June 2010
07:05 am ET

NASA is assessing the risk to spacecraft posed by the upcoming 2011 Draconid meteor shower, a seven-hour storm of tiny space rocks that has the potential to ding major Earth-orbiting spacecraft like the crewed International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

The meteor shower risk assessment is actually more art than science, and there has been some variation in the projected intensity levels of the 2011 Draconids by meteoroid forecasters. But spacecraft operators are already being notified to weigh defensive steps.

Current meteor forecast models project a strong Draconid outburst, possibly a full-blown storm, on Oct. 8, 2011, according to William Cooke of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The Draconids do present some risk to spacecraft, Cooke confirmed. They could potentially become the next significant event in low-Earth orbit as far as meteoroids are concerned, he added.

More:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/draconid-meteors-2011-spacecraft-risk-100616.html



Don't go camping in October 2011 and rely upon your GPS or SatPhone to get you home.

[SidDithers]

1. Careful of these guys after the meteor storm...

Sid

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. PSHAW. A few ice cubes are nothing.

Now, for the real danger - Solar activity, the likes of which mere mortals have never witnessed, at least not with with some funky cook gadgets and spacecraft.