It may seem unbelievable, but scientists from the British science laboratory Rutherford Appleton are seriously thinking about the possibility of using energy shields in future missions to Mars, which can protect future colonizers from the effects of harmful radiation exposure, in the manner of futuristic energy deflectors from some "Star Trek".
Scientists, however, call such a system a “mini-magnetosphere”, and it works approximately on the same principle by which the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from solar radiation. In our case with Mars, the system will form a magnetic field around the spacecraft. In other words, astronauts will be in a kind of magnetic bubble that will reflect life-threatening rays, protecting the crew.
At the moment, the question of the difficulties of confronting deadly solar radiation in planning future missions to Mars is one of the most crucial. As we already wrote, the new data obtained from the Martian research rover “Curiosity” show an increased level of radiation that exceeds the norms safe for a long flight and further work of astronauts.
But since there is still a lot of time left before the first manned flight to the Red Planet, the people at Rutherford Appleton Lab are confident that they will be able to develop an installation that will avoid possible problems. Interestingly, in an interview with CNN, the company said that it already has a working prototype of this system, the tests of which were carried out in a closed synthesis chamber, where, thanks to plasma, scientists artificially created conditions similar to those that will be tested by both equipment and people flying on Mars. And according to Ruth Bamford, the head of this research project, the team is “extremely satisfied with the test.”
“The key to the success and implementation of our concept is the further evolution in understanding the properties of plasma. As part of the study, we found that if you create a magnetic field around an object inside the plasma stream, the electrons will follow the newly formed magnetic field, and the ions, very fast ions, will repel it. Thanks to this, an electric field will be created, which will be enough to deflect or even reflect radiation rays and actually protect the astronauts themselves, ”explains Bamford.
The next step, according to the scientist, should be open trials in space and the subsequent bringing to mind the prototype over the next five years.
Unfortunately, the issue of radiation is not the only problem on the way of the first manned flight to Mars. NASA has already admitted that its current funds will not be enough to implement this truly grandiose plan, so the aerospace agency hopes for active participation from private companies that will take the initiative and deal with issues such as ensuring the safety of the health of the future crew. In turn, NASA will act here rather as a scientific consultant.
The article is based on materials .
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