Electromagnetic Waves and their Effects in near-Earth Space

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At the start of the space age, James Van Allen made a startling discovery: the space above our atmosphere is filled with high-energy radiation. That was in 1958, and the discovery soon made him Time Magazine's "Man of the Year". Much has changed since that time, and our society has come to rely on orbiting satellites. Applications such as GPS positioning and satellite weather maps are a part of our daily lives. However, the radiation that Van Allen discovered is a natural phenomenon, and modern satellites often cross through the two doughnut-shaped regions now known as the Van Allen radiation belts. The radiation in these regions comes from electrons and ions which are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field and accelerated to very high energies. These particles pose a serious threat to any satellites passing through them, mostly due to their ability to damage and disrupt on-board electronics.