Star Trek Shields Now a Possibility? 220
An anonymous reader writes "British scientists have announced their intent to build a Star Trek-style magnetic shielding system to help protect astronauts from radiation. 'There are a variety of risks facing future space explorers, not least of which is the cancer-causing radiation encountered when missions venture beyond the protective magnetic envelope, or magnetosphere, which shields the Earth against these energetic particles. The Earth's magnetosphere deflects many of these particles; others are largely absorbed by the atmosphere.'"
Misleading Title (Score:5, Insightful)
Course, it wouldn't be long before Jack-Ass had shields around someone's nether regions, and shot it with a gun.
Re:Fine, but dont call them 'Star Trek' shields (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What about space dust and photon torpedoes? (Score:3, Insightful)
Radiation, on the other hand, generally isn't so easy to block. You can mostly ignore it if the spacecraft is unmanned, which is the best solution most of the time, but if you have to have astronauts up there, then they need some sort of shield.
Physical radiation shields generally rely on putting enough mass in the way to protect the people on the other side, and while that's fine for a nuclear reactor or a fallout shelter, it's a bit of an issue when you need to carry all that extra weight up to orbit. Getting the same protection without all the extra weight would be a big advantage. Pity it can't be adapted to non-charged forms of ionizing radiation.
Re:there are practical power limitations (Score:5, Insightful)
there is a lab in the southwest (nevada i think) where they generate fields as strong as the earth's magnetic field (in otherwords, what theyre looking for here).
The Earth's magnetic field is wimpy. A refrigerator magnet produces a stronger field. The thing about Earth's field is that it is HUGE, spatially. So particles have a LOT of field to contend with on their way through the magnetosphere. Even though the field itself is incredibly weak.Ohmygodponies style reporting (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Misleading Title (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Hmmm... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:6 of 9 (Score:3, Insightful)
Real is spectacular. These silicone-stuffed ladies are operating under entirely false pretenses. if silicone is what you like, buy a RealDoll. Guaranteed less expensive than the real thing over time, and those breasts are just what you want.
cough (Score:3, Insightful)
No. Once again, science fiction writers far predating TV shows and movies such as EE "Doc" Smith and his many predecessors, peers and those that followed led the way, and TV lamely followed. But that's OK. You go back to watching TV. Books might make your head hurt. Full of words, they are. Very annoying. And that whole "theater of the mind" thing... I mean, what if you blow a projector bulb in your cerebrum?