"During solar storms, lots of things happen, the belts can expand greatly, " said Mona Kessel, RBSP program scientist based at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.

MSN: Twin satellites will study radiation around Earth

Based on observational data of solar storms, the radiation belts, and the plasmasphere during past years, the authors were able to successfully model the Halloween solar storm.

FORBES: A Powerful Solar Storm Could Render Satellites Inoperable For Years