My understanding of EMP Nuclear bombs - gained from
documentation from the 1960s/70s, was that these were exo-atmospheric bursts
designed to generate huge impulses at the ground due to Compton scattering of
electrons blasted down from the upper atmosphere.
Tests ( on BikiniAtol ?) caused severe disruption to
electronic equipment hundreds to thousands of km away, and are even reputed to
have knocked out streetlights at those sorts of distances.
I don't see how satellites well above the atmosphere could
be disrupted by such an event. Direct satelite damage was very difficult
to produce then due to the difficulties of getting close enough - even a 1MT
bomb probably has to be within less than a kilometre of a satellite for its
direct radiation to be high enough to damage the electronics (no blast damage in
space !) Satellites are designed to withstand high radiation levels from
the sun. Rember the huge programme of Star Wars started in the
'80's. Nowadays such close positioning would be easier, of
course.
So it looks as if satcoms would survive, whereas HF and
ground based electronics would not. SRI, fellow amateurs hoping for
a return to HF!
All info gained from open literature
;-)
Andy G4JNT
Hugh_m0wye wrote:
3. The
supposed disruption to satelites caused by a HANE seems to be based on what
happened to Telstar and similar vintage space-craft. Surely satelite design
has progressed since then, with better shielding and "radiation hardened"
devices being used. If satelites are more robust then much of the reason for
using RBR evaporates.
It could be
that the concerns may be over the possibility of a North Korean missile sent in
space to create an EMP and wiping out satellite communications
There is a
difference between space equipment being "radiation-hardened" against the
radiations normally found in space, and the neutrons. etc, that could be created
by a nuclear device exploded in space.
73
Andr�
N4ICK
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