Magnetic Shielding for Interplanetary Travel

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel magnetic shielding design using superconducting loops for interplanetary travel, effectively deflecting harmful cosmic radiation and potentially generating power and thrust for a self-sufficient station.

Contribution

It introduces a new superconducting split toroid magnetic shield design with detailed analysis of its effectiveness and additional functionalities.

Findings

Shielding field of 0.47 T deflects solar wind and cosmic radiation

Design mass is 8.08x10^4 kg with minimal field in crew area

Potential for power and thrust generation from radiation

Abstract

A proposed design for radiation shielding in interplanetary travel is presented with primary shielding created by a superconducting split toroid magnetic field and unconfined magnetic fields created by two deployable superconducting loops. The split toroid's shielding effectiveness is analyzed with calculations of mass, field, particle path, and synchrotron radiation provided. The creation of plasma regions is also taken into consideration. The design has a wire mass of 8.08x10^4 kg, which creates a 0.47 T shielding field, and a field less than 2.17x10^-4 T in the crew area. Calculations show the shielding field deflects concerning particles of solar wind, solar flares, and high energy high atomic number particles found in galactic cosmic radiation. This design might also be used to generate power and thrust from the radiation to create a potentially self-sufficient mobile station.