Solar storms, AI forecasts, and the future of safe flight on Earth and in space

The article features an interview with Dr. Lulu Zhao, assistant professor at the University of Michigan and lead of NASA’s CLEAR Center, focusing on space weather and its impact on modern technology. Dr. Zhao’s research centers on forecasting solar energetic particles (SEPs)—high-energy charged particles from the Sun that can disrupt electronics in aircraft, satellites, and pose risks to astronauts. Her team aims to develop advanced predictive frameworks combining physics, computation, and AI to better understand and anticipate these space weather events. Addressing a recent Airbus software glitch, Dr. Zhao clarifies that while solar energetic particles are known to cause bit flips in electronics, no significant solar activity coincided with the incident. Instead, cosmic rays—high-energy particles from outside the solar system—are the more likely cause, especially given the event occurred at low latitude where Earth’s magnetic field is strongest and shields most solar particles. She emphasizes that even a single particle can flip a critical bit in a control system, causing malfunctions, and these