Military scientists study ionosphere in Alaska
February 27th, 2010 - 3:11 pm ICT by BNO NewsWASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – U.S. Military scientists are studying the effect of high frequency signals into the ionosphere to better understanding the influence of charged particles on radio communications and satellite surveillance systems at a facility in south Alaska, the American Forces press service informed on Friday.
“The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a program known as HAARP, is basically a joint Air Force-Navy program to investigate ionospheric physics and radio science,” said James Battis, HAARP program manager.
The ionosphere is the upper layer of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation. Such radiation is commonly referred as solar wind. The ionosphere changes every day due to the solar wind.
The ionosphere has a significant effect on signals from satellite–based surveillance and positioning systems, the charged particles of the ionosphere can affect the quality of a signal passing by. These variations aren’t significant for civilian uses but are fatal for precise military positioning.
“When the signals from GPS come down, their paths are actually deflected by the structure of the ionosphere, and some GPS errors are due to distortions created by the ionosphere. That’s one of the reasons the Defense Department is interested,” Battis noted.
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