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That makes sense. I'm sure that plenty of people (including me) would still sign up independent of such concerns. Re: artificial magnetospheres; Wouldn't there

That makes sense. I'm sure that plenty of people (including me) would still sign up independent of such concerns. Re: artificial magnetospheres; Wouldn't there be side effects for humans to live within a powerful magnetic field? For starters blood is ferromagnetic... I'm guessing shielding with either something diamagnetic or something like mu-metal is an assumption, but either scenario would be difficult to implement if I'm picturing it right. What do you think needs to exist to make it viable? Because there is this entire supply chain involved over here which people seem to assume will spring up for such a program. I think that for something so audacious it's a limiting reagent which needs to be taken into account and, hopefully, solved for. I've read your comments and I hope you don't mind, but I have a silly question for you, do you think it's possible to make a launch system by pumping something cryogenic through a diamagnetic material and using a linear accelerator to accelerate a pellet(large or small) to escape velocity? Such a system would be extremely expensive to set up, but it would be very reusable and it should pay itself back...

InclinedPlane 14y ago
Here's a great paper on the topic: http://www.ess.washington.edu/Space/M2P2/rad.shielding.pdf http://www.ess.washington.edu/Space/M2P2/rad.shielding.pdf The biggest requirement is power, though it's within the capabilities of a large sized solar array. In terms of exposure to the crew, the actual magnetic field experienced within the cabin would probably not be that high (since the magnet itself would likely be on an external boom). As far as bulk material launch, I don't think there's a ton of value in launching unprocessed raw materials into orbit. There's only a narrow time window where that's actually useful, because once you have built up even a moderate off-Earth industrial base then it becomes easy to produce things like bulk metals and whatnot. The biggest need will always be in complete, manufactured items, and I suspect more or less conventional launch vehicles will probably be the way that happens well into the era where off-Earth colonization is underway.

InclinedPlane 14y ago

Here's a great paper on the topic: http://www.ess.washington.edu/Space/M2P2/rad.shielding.pdf http://www.ess.washington.edu/Space/M2P2/rad.shielding.pdf The biggest requirement is power, though it's within the capabilities of a large sized solar array. In terms of exposure to the crew, the actual magnetic field experienced within the cabin would probably not be that high (since the magnet itself would likely be on an external boom). As far as bulk material launch, I don't think there's a ton of value in launching unprocessed raw materials into orbit. There's only a narrow time window where that's actually useful, because once you have built up even a moderate off-Earth industrial base then it becomes easy to produce things like bulk metals and whatnot. The biggest need will always be in complete, manufactured items, and I suspect more or less conventional launch vehicles will probably be the way that happens well into the era where off-Earth colonization is underway.