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  • Spaceship shields

    Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.


    Plasma bubble could protect astronauts on Mars trip

    * 17:01 17 July 2006
    * NewScientist.com news service
    * David Shiga

    A bubble of plasma could shield astronauts from radiation during long journeys through space, researchers are suggesting. If the idea proves viable, it means heavy metal protective panels could be replaced by a plasma shield of just a few grams.

    Astronauts travelling beyond the Earth's orbit would be at risk of cancer and other illnesses due to their long term exposure to cosmic rays. Some of these energetic particles are spewed forth during outbursts from the Sun. Others come from outside our solar system and are more mysterious in origin.

    The Earth's magnetic field protects spacecraft in low Earth orbits, such as the space shuttle and International Space Station. But astronauts journeying to Mars would benefit from no such protection. Thick metal shielding could absorb the rays, but the extra weight that would need to be launched into space might make this an impractical approach.

    "There's no really sensible solution in terms of materials," says John Slough of the University of Washington, in Seattle, US, who is leading a study of the plasma shield idea. "It's an Achilles heel of manned space travel."
    Wire mesh

    Slough says the problem could be solved with just a few grams of hydrogen in the form of a plasma surrounding the spacecraft. NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) recently awarded Slough's team $75,000 to explore the feasibility of the idea.

    The details still need to be worked out, but the basic approach is clear. A high voltage device on the spacecraft would tear the hydrogen into its constituent protons and electrons. This plasma would then be spewed out into space, creating a cloud around the spacecraft.

    There would need to be a wire mesh outside the spacecraft and enclosing the plasma cloud. Electricity supplied to the mesh would keep an electrical current running in the plasma cloud and help confined it near the spacecraft.

    The plasma's magnetic field would be a powerful deflector of cosmic rays, equivalent to aluminium shielding several inches thick, Slough says.
    Optimum size

    The larger the cloud, the better it will deflect cosmic rays. But a larger cloud requires a bigger wire cage to contain it, and would therefore increase the mass of the spacecraft.

    The researchers are now examining this trade-off to determine the optimum size of the plasma bubble. As a rough estimate, Slough says the cloud might need to be about 100 metres across. At that size, the mesh would have to be stowed for launch and deployed once the craft reached in space.

    The wire mesh would need to be made of superconducting material and it would need to be able to operate at relatively high temperatures, since it would be heated by sunlight. This sort of superconducting wire is available commercially, Slough says.

    Future spacecraft might be powered by advanced engines that use plasma as a propellant. In that case, the discarded plasma could be recycled for use as a radiation shield. "You're protected by your own exhaust," Slough says.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    The wire mesh would need to be made of superconducting material and it would need to be able to operate at relatively high temperatures, since it would be heated by sunlight. This sort of superconducting wire is available commercially, Slough says.
    ¿Qué? Unless the wires are hollow and have refrigerant pumped through them, this statement either makes no sense or else indicates a development of monumental proportions with a very deadpan delivery.

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    • #3
      BSCCO (Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide) or YBCO (Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide) are superconductive at much higher temps than other superconductors, and in space this is pretty easily achieved with reflective coatings & some cooling. Yes, there are commercial sources. This is a triaxial version with integrated cooling channels;



      Not to mention the superconductivity advances yet to be brought on by this;


      These results hold implications for future developments in several key areas of advanced technology, including high-temperature superconductors, nanowires and spintronics.
      Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 17 July 2006, 22:21.
      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

      Comment


      • #4
        Well yeah with regards to heating, whenever there's a bit of spaceship in the sun, there must be a bit in the shade which you could dump the heat from... so you've just got to move the heat around the spacecraft.

        Why don't they just give the craft its own magnetosphere? Or is that effectively what they're doing?
        DM says: Crunch with Matrox Users@ClimatePrediction.net

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        • #5
          Creating a shield with a giant solenoid has been proposed, but the same effect can be had using a plasma cloud but without the possible negatives of a high flux in the living quarters. It also takes a ton less power.
          Dr. Mordrid
          ----------------------------
          An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

          I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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