Are cosmic rays really causing Toyota's woes? | freep.com | Detroit Free Press WASHINGTON -- It may sound far-fetched, but federal regulators are studying whether sudden acceleration in Toyotas is linked to cosmic rays. Radiation from space long has affected airplanes and spacecraft, and is known for triggering errors in computer systems, but has received scant attention in the auto industry. I had this emailed to me late last night. I am certainly not very scientific but it would make quite the story..
The Robinson family had to put with "Cosmic Storms" all the time....The Chariot never suddenly accelerated! Well OK, it was a '65 Thiokol "Spryte" Snow-cat, not a Toyota!!! Lots of Cosmic Storms however.....
Cosmic rays, GIC, EMI, Directed Energy Weapons, all are fascinating Especially their impact on sensitive electronics Most hardened systems use special radiation hardened microprocessors, which must continue working up to 100 K Rads As a point of comparison, 1,000 Rads is a fatal exposure limit for almost 100% of humans. 100,000 Rads is quite a bit higher than that
Note that the article is based largely on the testimony of someone in a position very similar to Sean Kane.. except this guy runs an EMI testing firm.
So when will the Prius Shop start carrying a honkin' big tinfoil hat to place over the entire car? :tinfoil3:
Alternatively you can just go down to Costco (or whatever wholesaler you're closest to) and get enough foil to cover your Prius yourself. It's a good weekend project. Don't forget to leave some uncovered areas on the windows - particularly that big front one. Boy, did I learn that lesson the hard way!
We used to have some electrical problems in the north of Alaska when I was in the service... Although, I think if it is gonna affect one car down here, it should affect many more to be evidence of other forces at work other than the car malfunctioning, or the operator error/intent.
I propose using a bunch of foil condom wrappers to block the EMI. family planning is good for the environment and so is recycling.
Even minor solar storms can cause major GIC (Geomagnetically Induced Current) in the northern regions of Alaska and Canada
