What power output would be required to generate a strong enough EM field around a space vehicle to protect it from extra-testicle radiation?

What would such a system weigh at current technology levels?

Is their a list of options for radiation shielding and how are these options limited?

Oh yeah, you definitely want to be protected from radiation that gives you extra testicles.

Divine Angel said:

Oh yeah, you definitely want to be protected from radiation that gives you extra testicles.

A pressing question that has somehow been missed, I know……………..

An EM field can protect you from charged particles but not from E/M radiation.

Is water a good EM shield?
If so you could perhaps store all the ships water in between the hulls of the ship, this could include all the water being recycled

dv said:

An EM field can protect you from charged particles but not from E/M radiation.

Could a sphere of ionised electrons capture E/M radiation?

I now realise I misread your question, which I took to be about shielding against EM radiation. Sorry about that.

It is possible to use magnetic fields to ameliorate solar flares and cosmic rays. To do this on board a spacecraft you might need to use superconductors.

dv said:

I now realise I misread your question, which I took to be about shielding against EM radiation. Sorry about that.

It is possible to use magnetic fields to ameliorate solar flares and cosmic rays. To do this on board a spacecraft you might need to use superconductors.

i see. hmmmm……

lookin’ to upgrade the tin foil hat?

Postpocelipse said:

What power output would be required to generate a strong enough EM field around a space vehicle to protect it from extra-testicle radiation?

What would such a system weigh at current technology levels?

Is their a list of options for radiation shielding and how are these options limited?

Hmm, I have a book that tells me how to calculate radiation shielding, and another book that tells me how much radiation there is in, for example, the van Allen belts. But that’s for regular shielding, such as lead shielding and water shielding, not EM shielding. In fact if you want to go the electric route what you actually want is electrostatic (not EM) shielding, separate positive and negative charges that will deflect ions.

Let’s start with “space”. There’s a huge distinction between radiation in low earth orbit, in Earth’s van Allen belts, outside the Earth’s influence on the Moon. Further away from the Sun such as on Mars, or in the van Allen belts of other solar system bodies.

Next step is to separate solar radiation from cosmic radiation. Solar radiation during times of solar flares and coronal mass ejections is the most damaging. But cosmic radiation is the most difficult to block.

Then consider the types of radiation. From the Sun, electrons and protons dominate the radiation. The energies of protons in the solar wind in quiet times are typically 1-2 keV, and during solar maximum can reach 10 keV.

Sufficient lead shielding will stop even very high energy electrons and protons. Even for energies of 10 to 100 MeV and above, 15 cm of lead will stop 50% of the radiation, 100 cm of lead will stop virtually all radiation. For low energy protons you may be better off with hydrogen-containing materials including water, plastic and wax. For nuclear reactors, 2 to 3 cm of water acts as a pre-moderator, slowing down neutrons (and presumably electrons and protons).

Electrons in the solar wind “can be absorbed by a few mm of aluminium”.

Sorry that this is such a lousy answer. I ought to be able to do better than this.

What power output would be required to generate a strong enough EM field around a space vehicle to protect it from extra-testicle radiation?

the yanks used a thin sheet of aluminium to protect them on their voyage to the moon and back

i think one of the moon astronauts has died from cancer , the rest lived to an old age

wookiemeister said:

What power output would be required to generate a strong enough EM field around a space vehicle to protect it from extra-testicle radiation?

the yanks used a thin sheet of aluminium to protect them on their voyage to the moon and back

i think one of the moon astronauts has died from cancer , the rest lived to an old age

That was probably adequate for such a short duration journey but what about a mission consisting of years in space

shielding is done with plain old passive devices rather than anything powered

power is at a premium on spacecraft

oh yes

if the power fails, guess what?

you get fried

passive shielding is reliable

lot of stuff is built having done the calculations re probability of soft and hard errors, contingencies are built in, same re high altitude aircraft.

even at sea level you get damage from cascading high energy particles

mollwollfumble said:

Postpocelipse said:

What power output would be required to generate a strong enough EM field around a space vehicle to protect it from extra-testicle radiation?

What would such a system weigh at current technology levels?

Is their a list of options for radiation shielding and how are these options limited?

Hmm, I have a book that tells me how to calculate radiation shielding, and another book that tells me how much radiation there is in, for example, the van Allen belts. But that’s for regular shielding, such as lead shielding and water shielding, not EM shielding. In fact if you want to go the electric route what you actually want is electrostatic (not EM) shielding, separate positive and negative charges that will deflect ions.

Let’s start with “space”. There’s a huge distinction between radiation in low earth orbit, in Earth’s van Allen belts, outside the Earth’s influence on the Moon. Further away from the Sun such as on Mars, or in the van Allen belts of other solar system bodies.

Next step is to separate solar radiation from cosmic radiation. Solar radiation during times of solar flares and coronal mass ejections is the most damaging. But cosmic radiation is the most difficult to block.

Then consider the types of radiation. From the Sun, electrons and protons dominate the radiation. The energies of protons in the solar wind in quiet times are typically 1-2 keV, and during solar maximum can reach 10 keV.

Sufficient lead shielding will stop even very high energy electrons and protons. Even for energies of 10 to 100 MeV and above, 15 cm of lead will stop 50% of the radiation, 100 cm of lead will stop virtually all radiation. For low energy protons you may be better off with hydrogen-containing materials including water, plastic and wax. For nuclear reactors, 2 to 3 cm of water acts as a pre-moderator, slowing down neutrons (and presumably electrons and protons).

Electrons in the solar wind “can be absorbed by a few mm of aluminium”.

Sorry that this is such a lousy answer. I ought to be able to do better than this.

Very interesting notes.

I like listening to short wave radio.

switch mode power supplies are noisy on the short wave bands.

so is the computer and WIFI modem.

I turn them all off when SWRLing.

Quieter technology would be great!

Power lines can be noisy too, also insulators (particularly when moist with dew)

First radio equipment I ever built worked at 50meg, well I used a 27meg crystal in the TX unit, I made the oscillator, put one of those little capacitive things in that changes C with applied voltage, that gave me FM modulation. Maybe was a varactor or varicap. Somewhere in there I frequency doubled, or was next stage. Final stage I pulled an output device out of a UHF radio and used that class C operated, made neat filters to go on it. Back in those days had an old x telecom scope good to ~50meg, and had a spectrum analyzer probe. Was narrow band, and too very clean signal.

Built couple three element yagis.

Anyway got to enter the magical world of impedance transformation, Q’n all that stuff.

Cheated on the receiver just used a TDA 7000 chip I reckon they were.

Used it to transmit bursts of sound from a water meter out the back of the farm. Maybe ten seconds of sound every five minutes.

high density polyethylene

i’ve mentioned that spaceships might be plastic in the future

HDPE is an effective radiation shield

i thought that was space vehicle related

a thin metal sheet can block radio waves

wookiemeister said:

i thought that was space vehicle related

a thin metal sheet can block radio waves

Radio waves aren’t the issue.