Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Experimental Magnetic Shield Against Cosmic Rays

Posted by timothy on Tuesday November 04, @01:06PM

from the but-not-against-hyperbole dept.
SpaceTechnologyScience
stiller writes"British scientists from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have developed an experimental set-up in which a $20 magnet is used to deflect solar-wind-like radiation."Reader Dersaidin points out a slightly more enthusiastic article at Universe Today which emphasizes the possibilities of systems based on this phenomenon to protect astronauts during solar storms, writing"It's a good start. Hopefully, later versions will be able to protect spaceships from energy weapons. A beam from the LHC can melt a 500kg block of copper. Shields, check. Energy weapons, check. Now we just need a viable interstellar drive, and an energy source to power it all."

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