Airbus has ordered six thousand “A320” airplanes to be recalled for software repair, with the damage caused by solar explosions. Link Here
How does solar radiation affect aircraft navigation systems?
Solar particles — especially high-energy protons and heavy ions emitted during solar storms — can damage electronic systems and cabling in several ways. For aircraft, satellites and other systems exposed at higher altitudes, the risk is greater because the atmosphere can no longer block as much radiation; an aircraft flies at about 11 km altitude.
Effects of solar radiation:
Ionization of insulating materials
High-energy protons and ions pass through cable insulation (Teflon, polyamide, etc.) and leave a “trail” of electric charge.
Over time, this accumulated charge can:
degrade the chemical structure of the insulator, making it more fragile, brittle or porous;
create micro-cracks;
alter dielectric properties, making internal discharges more likely.
This is called ionizing radiation degradation.
Charging effects and internal electrostatic discharges
Radiation can cause internal ESD (electrostatic discharge) within insulating materials.
When the accumulated charge reaches a certain point, a tiny spark forms inside the cable or between layers of insulation. These micro-arcs can carbonize points of the insulation and cause intermittent short circuits.
In aircraft, this type of failure is dangerous because it can affect sensors, actuators and onboard computers.
Repeated exposure to UV can also break chemical bonds in the insulation, speeding up deterioration.
Some particles can cause a “bit flip”.
This is when an energetic particle (proton, neutron, heavy ion, etc.) hits a chip and changes a bit in memory or the processor, switching it from: 0 → 1, or 1 → 0, without any human command or electrical failure. This is also called “SEU – Single Event Upset”.
Bits in a chip are maintained by tiny electric charges.
A cosmic or solar particle passing through the semiconductor generates a small cloud of extra electric charge. If that charge is enough to exceed the bit’s threshold, the state changes:
The memory should store “0”, but becomes “1”; or the opposite. It is as if someone made an invisible tap on a microscopic switch.
In a control system → sensors or commands become incorrect; in software → it causes random errors, failures, crashes or strange behaviour.
And what about damage to human passengers? No one mentions that?
According to scientists, the “doses” of radiation are insufficient to cause serious damage to the human nervous system.
Unlike electronic circuits, humans have thick, dense tissues composed of large cells.
Nerve signals do not depend on “one electron here or there”, but on macroscopic ionic waves.
Small local ionizations do not globally affect neuron function.
The nervous system uses continuous chemical gradients, not binary bits.
It requires very strong disturbances to break neuronal communication.
Small ionizations are absorbed, repaired or ignored by the body.
Electronic circuits do not have internal self-repair systems; human DNA and proteins have various biological repair mechanisms.
Damage can only appear in people who:
Travel frequently, many hours per year (for business, for example).
The aircraft’s own crew.
Silvio Guerrinha
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