Ebook: Sky Alert!: When Satellites Fail

“Sky Alert! What Happens When Satellites Fail” explores for the first time what our modern world would be like if we were suddenly to lose most, if not all, of our space assets. The author demonstrates humankind’s dependence on space satellites and show what might happen to various aspects of our economy, defense, and daily lives if they were suddenly destroyed.

The book opens with a consideration of how our space assets might be lost in the first place: through orbital debris, war, and solar storms. The author then looks at what would happen if our satellites were lost, including the effect on weather forecasting, and the Global Positioning System, explaining GPS in detail and its importance to the military, including spy satellites and military reconnaissance, commerce, civilians, communications and remote sensing – both resource monitoring and locating and environmental monitoring and science. The effects of losing such assets as the International Space Station as well as such research satellites as the Hubble Space Telescope or the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are also considered.

Part III of the book looks at how we can protect our satellites, preparing for the worst, reducing the growth and amount of orbital debris, preventing acts of war in space and hardening against space radiation. The book ends on an optimistic note: most spacefaring nations are now working together to develop new technologies to reduce the threat posed by orbital debris and in-space nuclear detonations and treaties exist to limit the development and use of weapons in space. Finally, it is hoped that it will not be long before we will be able to better predict and take precautions against solar storms.

The global economy has now become so dependent upon satellites that their loss would be devastating – to the economy, to national security, and potentially, to the day-to-day survival of those who live in the world’s most advanced economies.

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How much do we depend on space satellites? Defense, travel, agriculture, weather forecasting, mobile phones and broadband, commerce...the list seems endless. But what would our live be like if the unimaginable happened and, by accident or design, those space assets disappeared?

Sky Alert! explores what our world would be like, looking in turn at areas where the loss could have catastrophic effects. The book

- demonstrates our dependence on space technology and satellites;

- outlines the effect on our economy, defense, and daily lives if satellites and orbiting spacecraft were destroyed;

- illustrates the danger of dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and space debris colliding with a functioning satellites;

- demonstrates the threat of dramatically increased radiation levels associated with geomagnetic storms;

- introduces space as a potential area of conflict between nations.

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How much do we depend on space satellites? Defense, travel, agriculture, weather forecasting, mobile phones and broadband, commerce...the list seems endless. But what would our live be like if the unimaginable happened and, by accident or design, those space assets disappeared?

Sky Alert! explores what our world would be like, looking in turn at areas where the loss could have catastrophic effects. The book

- demonstrates our dependence on space technology and satellites;

- outlines the effect on our economy, defense, and daily lives if satellites and orbiting spacecraft were destroyed;

- illustrates the danger of dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and space debris colliding with a functioning satellites;

- demonstrates the threat of dramatically increased radiation levels associated with geomagnetic storms;

- introduces space as a potential area of conflict between nations.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Front Matter....Pages 19-19
1 Orbital Debris....Pages 21-30
2 Space War....Pages 31-42
3 Solar Storms....Pages 43-51
Front Matter....Pages 53-53
4 The Global Positioning System (Military Uses)....Pages 55-58
5 Economic Fallout....Pages 59-69
6 The Global Positioning System and the Average Person....Pages 71-75
7 Spy Satellites and Military Communications....Pages 77-84
8 Communications....Pages 85-92
9 Weather Forecasting....Pages 93-97
10 Remote Sensing: Environmental Monitoring and Science....Pages 99-108
11 The International Space Station and Human Space Flight....Pages 109-117
12 Effects on Scientific Research Satellites....Pages 119-126
Front Matter....Pages 127-127
13 Reduce the Growth in Orbital Debris....Pages 129-137
14 Reduce the Amount of Debris in Space....Pages 139-151
15 Harden against Space Radiation (Contributed by Dr James K. Woosley)....Pages 153-157
Chapter Summaries....Pages 1-7
Introduction....Pages 9-18
Back Matter....Pages 159-199

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How much do we depend on space satellites? Defense, travel, agriculture, weather forecasting, mobile phones and broadband, commerce...the list seems endless. But what would our live be like if the unimaginable happened and, by accident or design, those space assets disappeared?

Sky Alert! explores what our world would be like, looking in turn at areas where the loss could have catastrophic effects. The book

- demonstrates our dependence on space technology and satellites;

- outlines the effect on our economy, defense, and daily lives if satellites and orbiting spacecraft were destroyed;

- illustrates the danger of dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and space debris colliding with a functioning satellites;

- demonstrates the threat of dramatically increased radiation levels associated with geomagnetic storms;

- introduces space as a potential area of conflict between nations.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Front Matter....Pages 19-19
1 Orbital Debris....Pages 21-30
2 Space War....Pages 31-42
3 Solar Storms....Pages 43-51
Front Matter....Pages 53-53
4 The Global Positioning System (Military Uses)....Pages 55-58
5 Economic Fallout....Pages 59-69
6 The Global Positioning System and the Average Person....Pages 71-75
7 Spy Satellites and Military Communications....Pages 77-84
8 Communications....Pages 85-92
9 Weather Forecasting....Pages 93-97
10 Remote Sensing: Environmental Monitoring and Science....Pages 99-108
11 The International Space Station and Human Space Flight....Pages 109-117
12 Effects on Scientific Research Satellites....Pages 119-126
Front Matter....Pages 127-127
13 Reduce the Growth in Orbital Debris....Pages 129-137
14 Reduce the Amount of Debris in Space....Pages 139-151
15 Harden against Space Radiation (Contributed by Dr James K. Woosley)....Pages 153-157
Chapter Summaries....Pages 1-7
Introduction....Pages 9-18
Back Matter....Pages 159-199
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