Did a Solar Storm Detonate Deep Sea Mines During the Vietnam War?

Re:Did a Solar Storm Detonate Deep Sea Mines During the Viet... by jfim on Wednesday April 22, 2020 @07:44PM (#22951377)

> In the United States, sparks burst out of telegraph equipment, sometimes starting fires.

> Should such an event happen today—when our lives our so intricately linked to technology—the results could be catastrophic, causing mass power losses and disruptions to GPS and satellite communications.

I wonder what would be affected if this was to happen today. Would it only be power distribution, or telecoms as well?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did a Solar Storm Detonate Deep Sea Mines During the Viet... by knowaveragejoe on Wednesday April 22, 2020 @07:59PM (#22951455)

Aren't electronics today more sturdy from am EM perspective than their counterparts in the 60s and 70s? Not that a strong solar flare couldn't cause problems regardless.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did a Solar Storm Detonate Deep Sea Mines During the Viet... by Arubis on Wednesday April 22, 2020 @10:07PM (#22952185)

If they're specced to be (military, aerospace), sure. But the move from vacuum tubes to transistors, for all its incredible advantages, made everything a lot more EM vulnerable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Did a Solar Storm Detonate Deep Sea Mines During the Viet... by Piskvorrr on Thursday April 23, 2020 @04:58AM (#22954063)

Quite the contrary: as silicon processes shrink, electronics become more vulnerable.

[ Parent | on HN ]