This one caught my eye, though (because the reference was to me):
"It has been proposed on this board that the Earth’s magnetic field will somehow prevent energetic particles from escaping the gravitational field of the planet."
Some planets (the lucky ones) have magnetospheres, while others do not.
Saturn’s magnetosphere shows a very complex system here.
Image Credit: Cassini-Huygens: Mission to Saturn & Titan.
In the upper reaches of the atmosphere, the Earth is losing small quantities of hydrogen. This is a very light element, so it's difficult to find a body that can hold it in place. Much of the escaping hydrogen, however, gets trapped by the magnetic field of the Earth's magnetosphere and is drawn back to the planet along the inner plasma sheet.
Other references:
* Magnetosphere (Earth's)
* #23. The Tail of the Magnetosphere
* The Magnetosphere
Dan
Space/Science » in reply to Re: Searching for info
Re: Excellent post . . . !