November 4, 2008

Ion Shield for Interplanetary Spaceships Now a Reality

Written by Ian O’Neill

Bubble chamber image of charged particles being deflected by a
magnetic field (CERN) British scientists invent “mini-magnetosphere”
to protect astronauts during solar storms.

Space travel during a solar storm just became a little less risky.
UK scientists working at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near
Oxford and the universities of York and Strathclyde have tested
a “mini-magnetosphere” enveloping a model spacecraft in the lab.

It turns out that their prototype offers almost total protection against
high energy solar particles. By mimicking the natural protective
environment of the Earth, the researchers have scaled the protective magnetic bubble down into an energy efficient, yet powerful deflector
shield.

This astounding achievement is a big step toward protecting sensitive electronics and the delicate human body against the radioactive
effects of manned missions between the planets. It may sound like
science fiction, but future astronauts may well shout the order to
“RAISE SHIELDS!” if the Sun flares up during a 36 million mile
journey to Mars…

Full article here:

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/11/04/ion-shield-for-interplanetary-spaceships-now-a-reality/

But I wonder what NASA has planned for their permanent lunar
colonies to protect against solar storms?