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Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:49:46 +0200
To: LF-Group <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
From: Dick Rollema <dickrollema@casema.nl>
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Subject: LF: Alarming message
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To All from PA0SE

A friend of mine drew my attention to the following rather alarming message:

>>Van: ARRL Web site [mailto:memberlist@www.arrl.org]
>>Verzonden: woensdag 16 augustus 2006 15:31
>>Aan: pa3alg@xs4all.nl
>>CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:
>>Onderwerp: ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA
>>
>>SB PROP ARL ARLP033
>>ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA
>>
>>This is a special early edition of the propagation bulletin, three
>>days before the regular Friday publication schedule.  The regular
>>bulletin will appear on Friday, August 18.
>>
>>A newspaper article on Monday out of New Zealand reported a proposed
>>Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project that could
>>cause major worldwide disruptions to HF radio communication and GPS
>>navigation.  The ''Radiation Belt Remediation'' (RBR) system is
>>envisaged as a method for protecting low earth orbit (LEO)
>>satellites from damage caused by high altitude nuclear detonations
>>or severe solar storms.  Testing the system would use extremely high
>>intensity very low frequency (VLF) radio waves to flush particles
>>from radiation belts and dump them into the upper atmosphere.
>>
>>When I first heard of this on Monday morning, I thought it must be
>>something from a fringe web site peddling dark conspiracy theories.
>>But the newspaper reporting the news is real, and so is the team of
>>scientists from New Zealand, the UK and Finland whose study of
>>possible effects of the scheme is reported in a recent edition of
>>Annales Geophysicae.
>>
>>You can find the article here:
>>
>>http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/ag-24-2025.pdf
>>
>>A web page from the University of Otago describing the research is
>>here:
>>
>>http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/RBR_Media_release_8Aug06.htm
>>
>>I contacted the lead researcher on the team reporting the possible
>>effects of the project, Dr. Craig Rodger of the Physics Department
>>at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.  He proved very
>>cooperative, accessible and helpful, and told me RBR is a serious
>>project, ''money is starting to appear to investigate it in more
>>detail'', and ''U.S. scientists with military connections are treating
>>it seriously''.
>>
>>It is feared that testing the system could shut down worldwide HF
>>communications for several days to a week, rendering the ionosphere
>>a giant sponge for RF.
>>
>>I sent Dr. Rodger a comment from Ward Silver, N0AX, who speculated
>>''the sheer energy needed to accomplish it would tend to rule it out
>>from the start, and I don't know where they would erect the
>>necessary antennas.''
>>
>>Dr. Rodger responded, ''This would be true, but they are hoping to
>>rely on some of the non-linear processes in space plasmas, stealing
>>the energy from the radiation belts to get the wave-amplitudes high
>>enough.  We know this is possible (in theory), as it happens
>>naturally already.  We don't know how easy it will be to get it
>>happening under our control''.
>>
>>''Also, as for erecting the antenna, there are two plans.  One is to
>>fly VLF antenna in space.  This could be a power problem.  But for
>>ground-based systems, you probably already know that most major
>>naval powers have big VLF transmitters dotted over the globe.  (Two
>>of the US Navy transmitters radiate one megawatt).  While these are
>>designed to keep the signals mostly under the ionosphere, it shows
>>the possibility for building big powerful antenna''.
>>
>>You can read Monday's article from the New Zealand Herald, here:
>>
>>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1ObjectID=10396164
>>
>>If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
>>email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.
>>
>>
>>
>

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<font size=3>To All from PA0SE<br><br>
A friend of mine drew my attention to the following rather alarming
message:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Van:
ARRL Web site
[<a href="mailto:memberlist@www.arrl.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:memberlist@www.arrl.org</a>]<br>
Verzonden: woensdag 16 augustus 2006 15:31<br>
Aan: pa3alg@xs4all.nl<br>
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members:<br>
Onderwerp: ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA<br><br>
SB PROP ARL ARLP033<br>
ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA<br><br>
This is a special early edition of the propagation bulletin, three<br>
days before the regular Friday publication schedule.&nbsp; The
regular<br>
bulletin will appear on Friday, August 18.<br><br>
A newspaper article on Monday out of New Zealand reported a 
proposed<br>
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project that 
could<br>
cause major worldwide disruptions to HF radio communication and GPS<br>
navigation.&nbsp; The ''Radiation Belt Remediation'' (RBR) system 
is<br>
envisaged as a method for protecting low earth orbit (LEO)<br>
satellites from damage caused by high altitude nuclear detonations<br>
or severe solar storms.&nbsp; Testing the system would use extremely
high<br>
intensity very low frequency (VLF) radio waves to flush particles<br>
from radiation belts and dump them into the upper atmosphere.<br><br>
When I first heard of this on Monday morning, I thought it must be<br>
something from a fringe web site peddling dark conspiracy theories.<br>
But the newspaper reporting the news is real, and so is the team of<br>
scientists from New Zealand, the UK and Finland whose study of<br>
possible effects of the scheme is reported in a recent edition of<br>
Annales Geophysicae.<br><br>
You can find the article here:<br><br>
<a href="http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/ag-24-2025.pdf" eudora="autourl">http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/ag-24-2025.pdf</a><br><br>
A web page from the University of Otago describing the research is<br>
here:<br><br>
<a href="http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/RBR_Media_release_8Aug06.htm" eudora="autourl">http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/RBR_Media_release_8Aug06.htm</a><br><br>
I contacted the lead researcher on the team reporting the possible<br>
effects of the project, Dr. Craig Rodger of the Physics Department<br>
at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.&nbsp; He proved
very<br>
cooperative, accessible and helpful, and told me RBR is a serious<br>
project, ''money is starting to appear to investigate it in more<br>
detail'', and ''U.S. scientists with military connections are
treating<br>
it seriously''.<br><br>
It is feared that testing the system could shut down worldwide HF<br>
communications for several days to a week, rendering the ionosphere<br>
a giant sponge for RF.<br><br>
I sent Dr. Rodger a comment from Ward Silver, N0AX, who speculated<br>
''the sheer energy needed to accomplish it would tend to rule it 
out<br>
from the start, and I don't know where they would erect the<br>
necessary antennas.''<br><br>
Dr. Rodger responded, ''This would be true, but they are hoping to<br>
rely on some of the non-linear processes in space plasmas, stealing<br>
the energy from the radiation belts to get the wave-amplitudes high<br>
enough.&nbsp; We know this is possible (in theory), as it happens<br>
naturally already.&nbsp; We don't know how easy it will be to get 
it<br>
happening under our control''.<br><br>
''Also, as for erecting the antenna, there are two plans.&nbsp; One is
to<br>
fly VLF antenna in space.&nbsp; This could be a power problem.&nbsp; But
for<br>
ground-based systems, you probably already know that most major<br>
naval powers have big VLF transmitters dotted over the globe.&nbsp;
(Two<br>
of the US Navy transmitters radiate one megawatt).&nbsp; While these
are<br>
designed to keep the signals mostly under the ionosphere, it shows<br>
the possibility for building big powerful antenna''.<br><br>
You can read Monday's article from the New Zealand Herald, 
here:<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1ObjectID=10396164" eudora="autourl">http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1ObjectID=10396164</a><br><br>
If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,<br>
email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.<br><br>
<br><br>
</blockquote><br>
</font></blockquote></body>
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