4 ms·

No idea about a particle like this one but, I've read that cosmic rays pass through flesh leaving a microscopic track of destruction[1]. However atomic collisio

No idea about a particle like this one but, I've read that cosmic rays pass through flesh leaving a microscopic track of destruction[1]. However atomic collisions result in a shower of particles. And very high energy you get multiple showers. A problem if you're trying to shield people in space for a long time. You need enough shielding to stop the secondary showers of particles. [1] Extreme example from memory... meh google, In 1978 Soviet physics student Anatoli Bugorski got zapped by a proton beam which burned a track through his head. Recovered with damage, completed his PhD and is still alive.

klyrs 3y ago
Good point, wikipedia has a good description here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski > Reportedly, he saw a flash "brighter than a thousand suns" but did not feel any pain. He was hit with a 76GeV beam; this was a single particle with 320 billion GeV. I do wonder how many particles at 76GeV he was hit with. And yeah... damage. > The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition and, over the next several days, the skin started to peel, revealing the path that the proton beam had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that he had received far in excess of a fatal dose of radiation, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived, completed his PhD, and continued working as a particle physicist. There was virtually no damage to his intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased markedly. Bugorski completely lost hearing in the left ear, replaced by a form of tinnitus. The left half of his face was paralysed due to the destruction of nerves. He was able to function well, except for occasional complex partial seizures and rare tonic-clonic seizures. Yikes.

klyrs 3y ago

Good point, wikipedia has a good description here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski > Reportedly, he saw a flash "brighter than a thousand suns" but did not feel any pain. He was hit with a 76GeV beam; this was a single particle with 320 billion GeV. I do wonder how many particles at 76GeV he was hit with. And yeah... damage. > The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition and, over the next several days, the skin started to peel, revealing the path that the proton beam had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that he had received far in excess of a fatal dose of radiation, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived, completed his PhD, and continued working as a particle physicist. There was virtually no damage to his intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased markedly. Bugorski completely lost hearing in the left ear, replaced by a form of tinnitus. The left half of his face was paralysed due to the destruction of nerves. He was able to function well, except for occasional complex partial seizures and rare tonic-clonic seizures. Yikes.