Scientists Work To Produce 'Star Trek' Deflector Shields 193
cold fjord writes "This might be useful. From CNN: 'Recent evidence from NASA's Curiosity rover mission to the Red Planet has revealed that astronauts on the round-trip would be exposed to high levels of radiation from cosmic rays and high-energy particles from the sun ... this would clearly be bad for your health — and it is proving difficult to find a solution. ... [S]hielding to completely block the radiation danger would have to be "meters thick" and too heavy to be used aboard a spacecraft. In contrast, ... science fiction fans have once again got used to the ease with which Captain Kirk gives the order for "shields up" and the crew of the Enterprise being protected instantly from the hostility of space. Perhaps though, a real Star Trek shield may no longer be science fiction — scientists at the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) certainly think so. They have been testing a lightweight system to protect astronauts and spacecraft components from harmful radiation and working with colleagues in America to design a concept spaceship called Discovery that could take astronauts to the Moon or Mars. "Star Trek has great ideas — they just don't have to build it," said Ruth Bamford, lead researcher for the deflector shield project at RAL. ... The RAL plan is to create an environment around the spacecraft that mimics the Earth's magnetic field and recreates the protection we enjoy on the ground — they call it a mini magnetosphere." Related: 'Deflector Shields' protect the Lunar Surface.'"
Make it so... (Score:2, Funny)
Don't forget to be able to boost the shields with auxiliary, emergency and also war drive power... those are always used. Also extendable to protect other ships and maybe a functionality to raise the shields after a shot has been detected even if the "diplomatic" captain doesn't want to raise... since he is surely not going to die (maybe assimilated but no death)
Re:Make it so... (Score:5, Funny)
To seek out wi-fi and new civilizations
Re: Make it so... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Well, sorta (Score:2, Funny)
But then by the same lax standard I can claim that Jesus endorsed binary code. Matthew 5:37: "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." :p
(And yes, I'm a huge ST and SW nerd. I know, I know, I'll go not get laid now.;)
HOLY SHIT That Jesus guy really COULD see the future! I'm sold, where's the nearest Christian conversion center?
Re:Make it so... (Score:4, Funny)
As a bonus, Roddenberry's First Law states that you can use a main deflector dish to do anything, so if they succeed in building this technology then we can also look forward to faster-than-light travel, instantaneous communication across distances of galactic scale...
Re:Well, sorta (Score:4, Funny)
Lasers can't even penetrate our navigation shields. Don't they know that?
Regulations do call for yellow alert.
Re:Well, sorta (Score:4, Funny)
Are you sure? That does mean changing the light bulb.