May the Force (Field) Be with You
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - 12:22
in Astronomy & Space
If astronauts hope to ever set foot on Mars, myriad technical challenges will need to be overcome, not the least of which is shielding space travelers from bombardment by energetic particles. Outside Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field, supersonic particles from stellar processes run amok, screaming through space and tearing through just about anything in their path--including the bodies of astronauts, where they can wreak havoc on genetic material. [More]