Galactic Radiation Shielding: The Future for Space Exploration

A solar flare is an immense output of energy due to disturbances in magnetic field lines that causes a sudden flash of increased brightness on the Sun. On August 7, 1972 there was a massive solar flare which created an accelerated wave of particles, mostly protons. The wave of particles would have been severely dangerous to anyone outside Earth’s magnetosphere. The Apollo 16 crew had returned to Earth just five months earlier. They just narrowly missed what could have been a tragic accident. Had this happened while they were outside of the magnetosphere, we would have a very different history regarding space exploration.

One of the biggest barriers preventing space exploration is that leaving our tiny planet means leaving the safe haven and protection we are provided with by our atmosphere. Astronauts on the ISS that are in LEO are still protected from harmful rays from the sun and outside the solar system, but once an astronaut crosses that boundary, it is unprotected territory. They will have entered the “free zone,” where there is no protection from radiation.

With our exponentially advancing technology, humanity is destined to escape the limitations of our home planet and become multi-planetary. Mars is the inevitable first step towards that exciting future. What’s more exciting is the fact that humans on…