Russian cosmonauts take shelter on International Space Station during severe solar storm
A powerful solar flare and rare severe geomagnetic storm triggered aurora lights and precautionary measures aboard the ISS.
A powerful geomagnetic storm led to the aurora borealis being visible across huge swaths of the U.S. from Nov. 11-12.
A powerful geomagnetic storm that dazzled skywatchers across the Northern Hemisphere earlier this month also affected life aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
During the Nov. 11–12 solar storm, Russian cosmonauts temporarily relocated their sleeping quarters as a precaution against increased radiation exposure, NASA confirmed.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the Sun unleashed an X5.1-class solar flare on Nov. 11 — one of the most powerful types of solar flares — which briefly disrupted high-frequency radio communications. The flare was followed by several coronal mass ejections (CMEs), two of which struck Earth on Tuesday, sparking a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm.
The Milky Way spans the night sky above a yellow-green airglow that blankets the Atlantic Ocean, midway between South America and Africa. This long-exposure photograph was taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above Earth. (Image credit: NASA)
Astronauts aboard the ISS are particularly vulnerable to heightened radiation levels during intense solar activity. While the recent storm did not affect station operations, NASA said the Russian crew members — Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Alexey Zubritsky — slept in the station’s laboratory module as a safety precaution.
“Operations and science continued as normal on the space station,” said Sandra Jones, NASA Public Affairs Officer at Johnson Space Center. “The USOS (United States Orbital Segment) crew slept in their crew quarters, and the Roscosmos cosmonauts camped out in the lab as a preventative measure due to the solar storm.”
The storm produced spectacular northern lights displays visible as far south as the Southeastern U.S. and across parts of Europe. However, space weather events like this can also have serious side effects, including power grid fluctuations, satellite and GPS disruptions and radio blackouts.
The SWPC said it is still waiting to hear back from different sectors on the impacts of the space weather.
The geomagnetic storm also forced NASA to delay the launch of twin Mars spacecraft on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration reported 21 flight cancellations due to the solar radiation storm.
Despite the risks, astronauts aboard the ISS had front-row views of the auroras glowing along Earth’s atmosphere. With normal operations resumed and the recent U.S. government shutdown resolved, NASA astronauts Johnny Kim, Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman have begun sharing breathtaking images of the auroral light show from orbit.
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