Beam Me Up Scottie!
Diagram of a magnetosphere
Like something out of Star Trek, scientists have discovered how to generate a magnetic field to protect astronauts from cosmic rays, which could prevent death for many humans travelling to the Moon or Mars in future years.
The magnetic ‘umbrella’ reflects super-charged particles that stream throughout space from the sun, which pose a significant threat during long missions. Along with this, termed ‘solar wind’, cosmic rays can also cause damage, another danger diverted by the magnetic field.
It’s not just the astronaut who can suffer from these solar storms. In 2002, the Japanese Mars mission, Nozomi was hit by a solar flare which paralysed its electronics.
The discovery was believed to be a long way off, but in a recent experiment made by researchers of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), the Universities of York and Strachclyde and IST Lisbon has revealed a distinct possibility of the ability to create a portable magnetic field.
In their experiment, the team simulated a solar storm and then, using magnetic fields, isolated an area by deflecting particles around it. “The first time we switched it on, it worked,” said Dr Ruth Bamford, one of the researchers from RAL.
The experiment was, compared to the possibility of shielding a space ship, tiny; a metre long trial created using a plasma jet and a simple $20 magnet. Many more experiments are necessary to develop the technology to a practical level, but the reality is there.
“I don’t think it’ll come down to as little as sticking fridge magnets on the outside of the spacecraft,” Dr Bamford continues, “There’s a lot of things to work out, like control, reliability, weight to launch, and so on.”
