Less solar activity indicates a weaker magnetic field on the sun. A weak field lets cosmic rays into the solar system, posing a radiation hazard for astronauts.
Here's a 2-minute video on the comet's October 19 near-miss of Mars, and how orbiting spacecraft will evade onslaught of dust particles from the comet.
After a long search at the solar systems' fringes, scientists say they have three possible targets for the New Horizons spacecraft after its July 2015 Pluto flyby.