Can solar flares hurt astronauts?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 11:30
in Astronomy & Space
Solar flares, coronal mass ejections, high-energy photons, cosmic rays space is full of various forms of radiation that a human wouldnt want to be exposed to for very long. Energized particles traveling into and through the body can cause a host of nasty health problems, from low blood count to radiation sickness to cataracts and cancer and potentially even death. Luckily Earths magnetic field and atmosphere protects us on the surface from much of this radiation, but what about the astronauts aboard the Space Station? How could events such as todays powerful near-X-class solar flare and last weeks CME affect them, orbiting 240 miles above Earths surface?