[quote]A radiation belt is a layer of energetic charged particles that is held in place around a magnetized planet, such as the Earth, by the planet's magnetic field. The Earth has two such belts and sometimes others may be temporarily created. The discovery of the belts is credited to James Van Allen and as a result the Earth's belts bear his name. The main belts extend from an altitude of about 1,000 to 60,000 kilometers above the surface in which region radiation levels vary. Most of the particles that form the belts are thought to come from solar wind and other particles by cosmic rays.[1] The belts are located in the inner region of the Earth's magnetosphere. The belts contain energetic electrons that form the outer belt and a combination of protons and electrons that form the inner belt. The radiation belts additionally contain lesser amounts of other nuclei, such as alpha particles. The belts endanger satellites, which must protect their sensitive components with adequate shielding if their orbit spends significant time in the radiation belts. In 2013, NASA reported that the Van Allen Probes had discovered a transient, third radiation belt, which was observed for four weeks until destroyed by a powerful, interplanetary shock wave from the Sun.[/quote]
It would likely take feet of insulated [b][i][u]Lead[/u][/i][/b] to pass through this belt of radiation, and protect the human from the radiation. getting that off of the ground in the first place would be ridiculous. A human in there would likely die.
Just something to think about.
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You can learn how the moon missions handled this issue if you want. But wearing tin foil hats can be fun too.
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It depends on the energies of the particles and the particle types. Alpha particles can be stopped by a layer of dead skin, and are mostly dangerous to humans when ingested or inhaled. They wouldn't pass through the skin of the ship. Beta particles require a bit more shielding, but not much. Most radiation measurement insteruments have a beta blocking window made from a layer of mylar. Gamma particles would be the largest worry, depending on their energy in electron volts. They wouldn't need [i]feet[/i] of lead though. An operating nuclear reactor doesn't even use [i]feet[/i] of lead. It's a mixture of steel, lead, and water. The lead attenuates the gamma particles, skewing the gammas course of travel, causing it to pass through more of the shielding than it would have otherwise. Something similar could easily be utilized on a ship, as those gammas are at a lower energy than that of an operating reactor.
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You mean we've never been to the moon? ;_;
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I'm just going to leave this here... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) [spoiler] http://38.media.tumblr.com/9a9dea710174cbb2a999076a4aab6c4f/tumblr_nhaoorRW5y1t2q3u3o1_400.gif [/spoiler]
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I've read some interesting things about this. One is to artificially create a magnetic field that would act like the VA Belts for a spaceship. Another is to shield the craft with charged materials that shunt radiation around them. Of course neither is in production, but the dangers of radiation aren't being ignored
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You fail to realize that we are exposed to radiation every second of every day, however I understand where you are coming from.
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Edited by AWILDSETH: 5/27/2015 3:43:03 PMDumb, trust me, humans have been to space. I'm a prime example
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Wait, you are telling me that humans do not all know this? It is common knowledge. Well, it is when you have wings.