12.13.2006

Violent Radiation Flare Sends Shuttle and Space Station Crew Seeking Shelter

OK, but exactly where the fuck did they go to "take shelter"? It's not like they went down to the root cellar.

From Florida Today's space blog:

A violent solar explosion sent a dangerous wave of radiation through space late Tuesday, prompting NASA to order the crews of Discovery and the International Space Station to take shelter overnight.

The solar flare erupted around 9:40 p.m., unleashing enough radiation to disrupt radio communications on Earth and in orbit while endangering astronauts circling 220 miles above the planet.NASA flight surgeons and agency radiation experts determined that the burst of highly energetic particles approached a limit that made preventative action prudent.
Can we safely assume President Bush put aluminum foil in NASA's microwave again?

Bush: what a brain trust!