Bit flips: How cosmic rays grounded a fleet of aircraft
5 days ago
- #aviation safety
- #bit flip
- #cosmic radiation
- Cosmic rays caused a JetBlue Airbus A320 to suddenly drop altitude, injuring passengers and leading to a mass grounding of over 6,000 aircraft.
- The incident was linked to a 'bit flip'—a single-event upset where cosmic radiation corrupts computer data, causing unexpected behavior in electronics.
- Airbus issued emergency updates for onboard computers to mitigate the risk of cosmic radiation affecting flight controls.
- Space weather scientists were puzzled by Airbus's reference to 'intense solar radiation' on the day of the incident, as no notable solar activity was recorded.
- Future risks may increase as microchips become smaller and more prevalent, making them more vulnerable to cosmic radiation.
- Scientists are working on standards to harden aircraft electronics against space radiation, though these are not yet compulsory.