1、Lessons Learned Entry: 0556Lesson Info:a71 Lesson Number: 0556a71 Lesson Date: 1997-04-07a71 Submitting Organization: GSFCa71 Submitted by: Peter J. MessoreSubject: Space Weather Media Blitz Description of Driving Event: On April 7, 1997 a solar flare occurred with an associated coronal mass ejectio
2、n and a “coronal Moreton wave.“ These phenomena were seen in new and spectacular ways by instruments aboard the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft. NASA, ESA, and NRL scientists queried by the media were excited, and their excitement about the new observations led to media reports that a massive ejection had
3、left the Sun (true), it would hit the Earth (highly probable), at a certain time (wrong), and cause damage and outages to technical systems (highly unlikely.) Meantime, NOAAs Space Environment Center (SEC), utilizing primarily the same types of data with which we have become familiar over the last s
4、everal solar cycles, regarded the flare (C6 in soft x-rays and 3N in H-alpha) to be ordinary, the coronal mass ejection to be the expected garden variety, time of transit to Earth through slow solar wind to be long, and the terrestrial effects likely to be unremarkable.The unprecedented media satura
5、tion and attention gives to this event, and the “NASA predictions“ (which NASA scientists did not make) appearing as an official government warning, caused many systems operators to be severely shaken, As on example, NOAAs Space Environment Center had a call asking if 747s scheduled to fly across th
6、e Atlantic should be kept on the ground at the predicted time of arrival of the storm.This lessons learned document appeared in the June 1997, International STEP Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 2 and was written by:Ernest Hildner, Director, SECArt Poland, Project Scientist, SOHONicola Fox, ISTPLesson(s) Lea
7、rned: Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-1. Space weather has come to peoples attention with the loss of the AT&T Telstar 401 satellite in January, and this seemed a reprise of that event, but with greater media play. The public noticed
8、space weather reports.2. The media did not listen to the qualifiers that NASA interviewees attempted to put into their interviews. “This is the first time we have flown a telescope capable of seeing the phenomenon“ got changed to “We have never seen anything like this before“, allowing the inference
9、 that this would be the biggest event of all time.Recommendation(s): 1. ISTP (International Solar-Terrestrial Physics Project), including SOHO and NOAA will have procedures in place for the next event to coordinate information to the media. Also, media folks excited by NASA reports about solar event
10、s will be encouraged to confer with NOAA/SEC if the story involves likely terrestrial effects. If you have media interviewers, we suggest you encourage them to consult the Space Environment Center Home Page (www.sec.noaa.gov) for its assessment. This site took 142,000 hits on April 9, and includes s
11、tatistics on how skillful are the Centers predictions. Both the NOAA and NASA public affairs officers will be engaged from the beginning of the media interest in future events.2. Some portions of the media have expressed embarrassment at the degree to which they inflated the story and missed the poi
12、nt that these were spectacular observations, because there were new sensors in orbit to see an ordinary event in new ways. There is some hope that educational efforts currently underway with the media will result in maintaining the increased sensitivity to solar-terrestrial observations and events,
13、while ensuring more balanced and correct reporting next time.Evidence of Recurrence Control Effectiveness: N/ADocuments Related to Lesson: N/AMission Directorate(s): N/AAdditional Key Phrase(s): a71 External RelationsProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-Additional Info: Approval Info: a71 Approval Date: 1997-06-24a71 Approval Name: Jack Remeza71 Approval Organization: 302a71 Approval Phone Number: 301-286-7113Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-
