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A comment on Coronal mass ejection impact imminent, Two more earth-directed CMEs.

Re:Coronal mass ejection impact imminent, Two more earth-dir... by andy_ppp on Saturday May 11, 2024 @05:04AM (#40326967)
Are these type of events problematic for putting nuclear weapons in space or is it just fine and you could never get accidental detonations or even just large amounts of uranium burning up in the atmosphere because military satellites are shielded so well!?
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Re:Coronal mass ejection impact imminent, Two more earth-dir... by dpq on Saturday May 11, 2024 @05:11AM (#40326985)
In a word, no. There is no risk of an "accidental detonation" caused by a magnetic storm, and there wouldn't be one even if you put the warhead upstream the bow shock directly in the path of the CME.

On the other hand, if a LEO satellite's electronics get fried, sooner or later it will burn up in the atmosphere since it cannot maneuver anymore, and if it carries a load of weapons-grade uranium it's going to be a somewhat unpleasant event, as you imagine.

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