Historic NASA Mission Created Temporary ‘Hole’ in the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere, Which Could Have Impacted GPS: Study

NEED TO KNOW

• "Ionosphere holes" occur when rocket exhaust molecules react with the ionosphere, resulting in a temporary electron depletion

• The disruptions could have very briefly affected GPS signals at points during the Artemis II mission, according to the study

• Artemis II astronauts set a distance record on their historic mission and safely splashed down near San Diego

NASA's Artemis II moon launch didn't just make history, it also created a kind of temporary "hole" in the Earth's upper atmosphere, according to a recent study.

In a pre-print study published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan wrote that space launches "often induce ionosphere disturbances." These so-called "ionosphere holes" occur when the molecules in the rocket exhaust react with the ionosphere, resulting in a temporary electron depletion.

However, during the Artemis II mission, researchers found that the rocket's journey created multiple disturbances in the ionosphere: during lift-off, during an engine burn two hours later and during another burn about 24 hours after launch.

The largest of these disturbances stretched across 50 degrees of longitude over North America.

Speaking with Newsweek , Charles Lin, an earth science professor at National Cheng Kung University and one of the study's co-authors, said that the disruptions were so large that researches believe it could have caused a very brief disruption in GPS accuracy.

The study did not find any evidence that the mission caused any crashes or issues with self-driving cars and drones, but Lin told the outlet that if these major space missions happen with more frequency, these disturbances to GPS signals could become more relevant.

And, if plans to go to Mars end up happening, "these space weather effects" could become "much more significant," Lin told Space.com .

NASA did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the study.

After 9 days in space on the first manned mission to the moon in more than five decades , Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen safely returned home to Earth on April 10, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

During the mission, the crew set a record for farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, surpassing the record of 248,655 miles previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, according to NASA. The crew was also able to capture images of the far side of the moon .

Read the original article on People