Questions tagged [shielding]
Questions related to protecting craft from their environment. Should be focused on the protection aspect and not the managing the effects of said environment.
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Has depleted uranium been considered for radiation shielding in crewed spacecraft beyond LEO?
Does Depleted Uranium (DU) have a role in spacecraft shielding?
Crewed spacecraft require shielding to protect crew from hazards of space, particularly:
Micrometors. The chief defense is a Whipple ...
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Where can I find citeable material on radiation shielding solutions utilized on different test missions?
I'm having a hard time finding citeable material on what different radiation shielding solutions different test missions have utilized.
So far I've found that:
SpectroCube only shields its most ...
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NASA CAPSTONE Radiation shielding
What solutions in radiation shielding or radiation effect mitigation were made on the NASA CAPSTONE mission? Specifically, anything related to radiation shielding is of interest.
I'm having trouble ...
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If a spacecraft's double hull filled with water is hit by a micrometeorite, could the water freezing or surface tension stop the leak?
I'm thinking about the possibilities of water storage also serving radiation shielding for long space journeys (months to years).
Assume within the solar system but outside of upper earth orbit. ...
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Would the reflected sun's radiation melt ice in LEO?
If they tow a big chunk of ice to LEO, shielding from the Sun will be required. My question is, would they have to shield from Earth as well?
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Feasibility of an artificial magnetosphere for a space settlement
For a space settlement radiation shielding can be categorized into two types, active and passive. Creating high current magnetic fields to counter radiation comes under active and using materials such ...
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What are the differences between 'Shield thickness' and 'Sphere thickness'?
In space radiation shielding-related literature, equivalent BFO doses are sometimes provided in terms of sphere thickness (g/cm^2). For example in Fig. 1 of [Ref 1] (the figure is attached below), the ...
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Active magnetic protection against cosmic radiation - Can anyone provide articles or summarize the latest developments?
A European project purports to have a practical magnetic shield for cosmic rays, based on four MgB2 toroidL coils1 oriented around the spacecraft like the lines of longitude around the globe. I can't ...
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For deep space missions, how thick must the water filled layer within the ship's hull be to effectively shield against cosmic rays? [closed]
Initially i proposed a 27cm thick barrier. But im not really sure thatll be enough
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Ramscoop for a space station or lunar base?
From what I've read, the Bussard ramscoop has problems which make it impractical as a means of propulsion. However, would it be possible to use it for a different purpose? Could a space station or ...
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Is the use of whipple shields on satellites common?
How common is the use of whipple shields or of any micro-meteor and debris shields in general for satellites in low earth orbit , I couldn't find any relevant statistics on the internet, a rough ...
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Why make X-ray shielding from titanium, when lead is 6 times lighter?
Probes visiting Jupiter and its moons protect their equipment from X-rays with titanium shielding. Juno had 180 kg of the stuff. Europa Clipper is expected to have about that much too.
Terrestrial ...
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Why don't we shield existing CPUs from radiation instead of designing new ones?
I've just read this article about space-graded CPUs [1].
I am not a space expert at all but a question was born naturally:
why don't we prefer to shield earth-designed CPUs (far less expensive) than ...
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How strong would a magnetic field have to be to protect interplanetary craft?
The following suggests that this is a possible idea to protect crew on interstellar space flight:
Is NASA doing research on "mini-magnetospheres" to protect crew from radiation in space?
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Pycrete or Pycrete 2.0 Q Has there been any research for structures against radiation protection in space with Pycrete type material?
Background on Pykrete:
Pykrete is a frozen ice alloy, originally made of approximately 14 percent sawdust or some other form of wood pulp (such as paper) and 86 percent ice by weight (6 to 1 by ...
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When a coronal mass ejection (CME) hits a spacecraft, from which direction will the particles come?
I have long assumed that when a CME (aka solar mass ejection, SME) hits a spacecraft, its particles will be coming in a straight line from the Sun. I've learned recently that it isn't so direct, and ...
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Could man-made, magnetic shields protect us from from sun's energetic particles from coronal mass ejections?
I read this in a published scholarly article: "...deploying a magnetic shield could enhance Mars' atmosphere and facilitate crewed missions there in the future..." It made me wonder if it is possible ...
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Should man-made satellites feature an intelligent inverted "cow catcher"?
Disclaimer: I have no formal education in science. Also, I'm a dummy!
Locomotives usually feature a shield that deflects objects on a train's track.
My understanding is that since satellites ...
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What is the shielding capability of liquid metal compaired to solid metal?
For simplicity, consider a spherical metal shape for shielding cargo/people behind. (The liquid ball is supposed to be between the Sun and the cargo. Not people inside it.)
A problem I see is that it ...
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Can a flock of birds crash a rocket?
Has there ever been a situation when birds caused damage to a rocket? At what speed would birds be a problem?
Could a rocket launch off water horizontally in stages?
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Water for shielding during space travel [closed]
Use less water for shielding during space travel by transferring water to the side of the craft exposed to the solar radiation source?
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Is it possible to "shape" area impacted by radiation shielding during interstellar travels? [closed]
If I have uderstood radiation/other shielding described in other questions correctly...it will be among other things provided by magnetic field(s) generated by superconductors.
Is it possible to ...
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Liquid shield for spacecraft? [closed]
Could an alloy of hot or cold liquid metal be made magnetic by adding electricity to the molten ball to give it magnetic properties to wirelessly attach it to a space craft to use as a shield shown in ...
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ISS Destiny Module inner wall: thickness set by internal atmospheric pressure or by mass density needed for meteor shielding?
In their 2006 paper Christiansen et al. describe the "stuffed Whipple shield" wall of the ISS's Destiny Module. The outer skin, the Whipple shield's "bumper" layer, is a thin layer of aluminum (alloy ...
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What type of software is used to make radiation shielding simulations for use in Space or Mars?
Hopefully this is relevant to the board and doesn't get deleted. Quick background: In Thailand. Grad student, mechanical engineering, with very limited knowledge regarding nuclear or space radiations. ...
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Which is the best glass for shielding against radiations and impacts? [closed]
Which glass should be used for overcoming radiation and orbital debris?
I have seen about monolithic glass and acrylic glass, which can be used for this purpose.
Are there any others type which can ...
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Can you avoid the costs of cooling superconductors for magnetic shields by separating them from the spacecraft and using shades?
As the answer to this thread states, cooling superconductors in spacecraft is necessary because of waste heat from secondary systems and thermal radiation of the sun. The application in which ...
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3D Model of radiation in earth orbit?
I am trying to estimate required shielding masses to maintain a radiation level at or below earths average radiation of 3 mSv per year at different earth orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO and 50000 km+).
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Emergency Spacesuit Protection?
In an emergency how much and what kind of protection would a spacesuit provide protecting against an explosive decompression event in the habitat the wearer is in?
Can air pressure be accumulated ...
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Would a Faraday cage made of gas block radiation?
What is best blocks radiation and is transparent as a gas? Would applying an electrical current through the gas increase the gas from blocking radiation on Mars?
Radiation could be blocked by the ...
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Could ozone be used in a biodome on Mars?
How much ozone would it take to block solar radiation on Mars if chambered in double panned glass or material? Said $O_3$ would break down from the UV. Would applied electricity on $O$ and $O_2$ make $...
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What is currently used to protect spaceships from meteoroids?
What is used to protect a Mars or possibly interstellar spacecraft against meteoroids and asteroids?
How risky it it to travel through space and does higher speeds equal more risk?
Would a long ...
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Why can't permanent magnets be used for radiation shielding in space?
I've been reading a lot about concepts for protecting astronauts from Galactic Cosmic Radiation on interplanetary voyages. I've read about a lot of different ideas, but all of the ones involving a ...
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Using tardigrades as space shielding
Since tardigrades are almost extremophilic, and so are these, should we use them as shielding material? A thick enough layer outside the spacecraft will shield it and we may use breeding techniques so ...
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Is the amount of damage to humans due to x Sievert a function of exposure time?
After looking into the experienced radiation for certain space journeys, I was wondering wether it was correct to state that the amount of biological damage is a function of the exposure time for a ...
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Are artificial magnetic fields used or proposed to be used to shield astronauts from charged, high energy radiation? [duplicate]
If not for the earth's magnetic field our atmosphere would be bombarded by high energy plasma (ionized gas) from the sun and other space sources.
Much of these particles have more energy than the ...
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How thick must a shield be to be better than no shield at all?
Below an answer to a recent question about shielding against radiation on a trip to Mars, there was this comment from dubu (emphasis mine):
[..] For high-energy particles entering dense matter, ...
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Why can't we use the same radiation shielding in Mars that we used when going to the moon?
Note that this is somewhat related to this question but here I am specifically asking about the suitability of using existing shielding for Mars travel.
This is about this article and video titled "...
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Radiation shield for Mars [duplicate]
Earth's magnetic field on its surface is 25 to 65 microtesla. Besides earth's atmospheric protection, majority of sun's harmful radiation on the earth is shielded by this small magnetic field. Such a ...
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Could a Sun shield keep a rover cool daytime on Mercury?
If a rover on Mercury "roves" only at night when the surface is freezing cold, and before dawn unfolds a Sun shield of a few square meters above itself, under which it stays put all day. Would the ...
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Is NASA doing research on "mini-magnetospheres" to protect crew from radiation in space?
The Phys.org article NASA proposes a magnetic shield to protect Mars' atmosphere says:
...Dr. Jim Green – the Director of NASA's Planetary Science Division – and a panel of researchers presented an ...
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Can Li-ion batteries replace parts of the physical structure of a spacecraft, such as the hull of a crewed spaceship?
Batteries contain metals with some structural rigidity themselves, and need encapsulation anyway. Could the batteries a spacecraft needs be used to build part of the physical structure, such as the ...
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Would a Europa lander need radiation shielding similar to Juno?
Jupiter has a very intense radiation field, and thus spacecraft going to study it need heavy radiation shielding, such as Juno's radiation vault. This protects the delicate instruments and ...
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How much material AND energy are needed to protect a spacecraft from radiation as well as the Earth does?
There's enough atmosphere to produce 1 bar of pressure at sea level, and I believe from playing Universe Sandbox, a .320 Gauss magnetic field on the Earth. Maybe some portion of that would be enough ...
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Could Solar Cells provide Neutron shielding?
In any (deep) spacecraft, radiation shielding is paramount. Neutrons and gamma rays can only be stopped by putting mass (or distance) between source and target. It seems that one should put more ...
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Orion Project (NPP) Pusher Plate computer models and survivability?
Does anyone know of any modern (1990's - present) computer modeling of the Orion pusher plate and its reaction/survivability to repeated plasma impacts?
Regarding the 1950s/1960s Orion Project using ...
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Would a nuclear propelled spaceship still need a storm shelter?
Assume you have a sophisticated nuclear (thermal or whatever comes to mind) propelled spaceship for your summer vacation on Mars. Half way there Houston calls and informs you about an inbound solar ...
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Suitability of Hydrogenated Boron Nitride Nanotubes for structural and shielding elements of spacecraft
I'm writing a novel set 100+ years in the future. I'm looking into future materials from which spacecraft may be built. I read an article about Hydrogenated Boron Nitride Nanotubes.
I'm interested in ...
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Is exposure to cosmic radiation more dangerous on some body parts than on other?
Radiation causes genetic mutation and every (human) cell in our body have the same genes. But on Earth we don't get cancer as often in the foot as in the genitals or in the brain. Some parts of our ...
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Space Station Battle: Could the Almaz gun depressurize the ISS?
Background
The second Soviet Almaz military space station both had and tested an externally-mounted autocannon, specifically a Rikhter R-23 (according to some sources). It had 32 rounds of ammunition....
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