[ScientificSorcerer (OP)]

I've been talking about radiation shields on this forum for quite a long time


The European space agency recently came up with exactly what I posted here many times in the past.
a superconducting space radiation shield.

Take a look at this video: http://www.universetoday.com/108728/can-a-mega-magnetic-field-protect-astronauts-from-radiation/

They are talking about putting a superconducting magnet on a space ship as means of protecting the astronauts from space radiation.

I was just thinking of what else such a device could  be used for.  If for example you were to have a  magnetic field around your ship like the scientist in the video proposes then could you use it as a way of creating artificial gravity? I mean, if you were wearing a small amount of iron on a ship with a superconducting magnet on board then wouldn't you be  attracted to the magnet strongly? imagine if the superconducting magnet was under the floor of the crews quarters and the crew wore metallic jumpsuit uniforms which have  small amounts of ferromagnetic material in them. would that give the crew  a  type  of  "magnetic gravity" allowing them  to walk around in zero gravity.

or perhaphs you  could  use the shield as a way of storing energy  like a battery.  superconducting magnets have been used in the past as mega batteries, storing energy as magnetism. They are usually called "superconducting magnetic energy storage systems".

Another thing I wanted to mention was if  it  would be possible for the mega magnetic field to be used as a means of collecting power from solar radiation.  Much like  the way the earth creates aurora lights by bending ionized radiation to the magnetic poles of the planet, would the ship's  mega magnet create it's own auroras around it's  magnetic poles?  the way  I understand it, the magnet will bend alpha particles to the north pole and beta particles to the south creating 2 oppositely  charged areas on opposite sides of  the ship.  could you  use those 2  oppositely  charged areas as electrodes feeding a  battery?  It seems like you could collect quite a lot of energy that way especially during a solar storm.

Can you see these things being possible?  If all this can be possible then I wonder what else can be possible.

[RD]

... magnet was under the floor of the crews quarters and the crew wore metallic jumpsuit uniforms which have  small amounts of ferromagnetic material in them. would that give the crew  a  type  of  "magnetic gravity" allowing them  to walk around in zero gravity.

Walking with magnetic shoes is impractical ...

[ His Wolverine claws are more impressive  [:0] ]

[ScientificSorcerer (OP)]

RD   I know that magnetic shoes are impractical, I'm not talking about magnetic shoes, I'm talking about a slightly ferromagnetic suit.  If you were to wear anything 100% iron or magnetic you would be pinned to the ground and probably crushed because you would be next to an unbelievably big and powerful magnet, the idea of a magnetic shield is that you would be surrounded by many teslas of magnetic flux (so you can be protected by radiation) superconducting magnets can reach magnetic strength levels some were in the range of 30 teslas of magnetic power, that's more magnet then most people have ever seen.

All you would need is a slight ferromagnetic attraction, you could have  iron impurities in say an aluminum jump suit to get gravity like attraction.  let's say your suit is 96% aluminum and 4% iron then you would only feel a weak but practical amount of magnetic pull all around your body. (not just your feet) which would give you a form of artificial gravity.

Of coarse you would feel more attraction near your feet then near your head by wearing such a suit,  but if you made the suit to have a gradient of iron impurities, with more iron near the head and less near the feet then you could  get a uniform magnetic attraction all around your body.

[RD]

... magnetic pull all around your body. (not just your feet) which would give you a form of artificial gravity.

Magnetic [dipole] field falls off with the inverse cube of the distance from it :
if under the floor it would affect feet noticeably more than the rest of the body.

On Earth the gravitational field as experienced by a person is uniform :
you don't feel lighter sleeping on the the top bunk than on the bottom when on Earth, but that would be the case on your magnetic space station, e.g  raising your arm would be more difficult when sitting down than when standing up, because your arm was closer to the magnet when seated.

It would be difficult to adapt to limbs which "weighed" differently depending on your posture , [ cf. lifting a container you think is full and heavy , when it is empty and light ] : there would be plenty of comedic/dangerous overshoot of movements.

[yor_on]

I'm not sure on how EM would affect the body? With gravity all of your particles (inside too) are involved, and gravity act together with the body's natural processes. How strong would that magnet need to be to interact in a similar way? Is it even possible?
=

there was that experiment with 'levitating frogs' in a strong magnetic field though.

[Atomic-S]

The strong magnet for a spacecraft sounds like it could indeed lead to  a number of useful technologies, but certain questions linger. Using it in lieu of gravity raises issues of the fact that objects do not react to magnetism the same way they do to gravity.  A magnetic space suit would be attracted, but the person inside would be much less so.  A field powerful enough to attract (or more probably, repel) a human body might have unanticipated physiological effects. I don't know that we know just how the human body functions if in the presence of a very strong magnetic field for an extended time period.  Using a lesser field and a semiferromagnetic suit would control the person's positions but would not affect the deleterious effects of zero-g insofar as they are related to the distribution of blood pressure.  Of course, the semiferromagnetic suit would provide a certain amount of "weight" to be carried by the muscles, which might help resist the debilitating effects of zero-g to the extent that those effects derive from reduced exercise.  Does anyone really know exactly how zero-g debilitates the body?  As for trapping solar radiation for power purposes -- that sounds like an idea that should be explored.  What effect would a strong field have on instrumentation aboard the craft?

[Traid1942]

Really very helpful and informative postings. I had no idea about this topic. But now i have. Thanks