Apollo Discussions > The Hoax Theory

Just Asking A Question

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Noldi400:
I'm putting this in the Hoax folder just because it's intended to address a gap in my knowledge that I've been made aware of by HB claims.

I have some basic understanding of radiation from courses taken along the way during a career in EMS/Emergency Management. I know the difference between particle and EM radiation and why there are different shielding requirements.

I've searched around quite a bit but have been unable to find a clear answer to this question: am I correct in thinking that EM radiation outside the VAB is relatively light? That is, not enough to pose a health threat? Also, I know solar flares can put out considerable particle flux, which is not all that hard to shield from, but how much EM do they produce and how much of a problem would it be for astronauts on the lunar surface?

I remember that there was a (small) solar event during one of the missions (16? 17?) and the only precaution they took was to put the cosmic ray experiment in an ETB bag to keep it from being affected - evidently no precautions were needed for the crew.

So there it is - a legit question. Anyone help me out?

 ???So now you're saying the NSA killed Kennedy?
 :)Oh, no... They shot him, but they didn't kill him. He's still alive.
 :o

Tedward:
I am no expert in radiation but I know the sun is a sphere. It is interesting watching SOHO for example and watching a CME blow off to a part of the sky we are not in.

Valis:
The radiation outside the VAB poses a health risk in prolonged missions, like a trip to Mars. Solar flares are an extra risk, but the background level from cosmic rays and such is not negligible.

Chew:
Each year in a spaceship outside the VAB increases the incidence of cancer across a population by ~4%. There are a butt-ton of caveats to that statement but it should give you the gist of what "they" mean when they talk about the dangers of interplanetary travel.

cjameshuff:
Also, as far as EM vs. particle radiation goes, there is fairly little ionizing x-ray/gamma ray radiation in open space, but charged particles tend to produce x-rays when they hit stuff like spacecraft hulls. Using light metals and plastics tends to reduce this problem, which is a big part of why spacecraft use stuff like aluminum and polyethylene for shielding rather than lead. This also means that magnetic shielding could be a long term solution. The radiation environment on the lunar surface was somewhat harsher than the radiation environment in open space because of this and because of the occasional proton hitting a nucleus hard enough to transmute it to something less stable.

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