Magnetic Shielding for Interplanetary Travel

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.