Space weather affects aviation too
While the term space weather may at first invoke visions of Capt.

While the term space weather may at first invoke visions of Capt. Kirk and his starship Enterprise encountering ion storms, it is in reality something which affects radio communications, satellite transmissions and signals intelligence. And because HF radio is particularly susceptible, it often forces airlines and any other aircraft operating on polar routes to switch to different tracks, and sometimes make unscheduled fuel stops.

At a recent half-day conference on “Space Weather and Aircraft Communications” at the Air Transport Association (ATA) in Washington, Joe Kunches, chief of space weather operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Environment Center (SEC) in Boulder, Colo., explained that space weather refers to changes in the space environment near Earth.