New Technology Is Being Developed to, Protect Astronauts From, Deep Space Radiation.
Engadget reports that of all the ways
space can prove deadly, radiation poses
one of the biggest challenges.
As a result, international space agencies
have been working to develop advanced
protection for the astronauts of tomorrow.
The European Commission's Community Research and
Development Information Service (CORDIS) is developing
a new method based on Earth's magnetosphere.
The European Commission's Community Research and
Development Information Service (CORDIS) is developing
a new method based on Earth's magnetosphere.
The team at CORDIS is working
to develop a magnetic force field
small enough to fit on a spaceship.
The Space Radiation Superconducting Shield
(SR2S) is capable of producing a magnetic field
over 3,000 times more powerful than Earth's.
The prototype coil is designed to quantify
the effectiveness of the superconducting
magnetic shielding technology, Bernardo Bordini, coordinator of CERN activity in
the framework of the SR2S project, via Engadget.
Engadget reports that the team
does not anticipate its new tech
to be ready for another decade or two.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Astronomy are
developing their own version of a magnetic force field.
The Cosmic Radiation Extended Warding using
the Halbach Torus (CREW HaT) project utilizes
the same concept but with a new approach.
Dr. Elena D'Onghia, a UWM associate professor
and lead author, says CREW HaT uses , “new superconductive tape technology,
a deployable design, and a new configuration for
a magnetic field that hasn't been explored before."