Just how dangerous is it to travel at 20% the speed of light?

Re:Just how dangerous is it to travel at 20% the speed of li... by T-A on Wednesday August 24, 2016 @03:19PM (#12354523)

Alpha, not beta (beta radiation is just electrons):

> Roughly 1% of the ISM consists of helium atoms, and we have a technical term for an ionized helium nucleus travelling at roughly 2% of the speed of light—6000km/sec—we call it an alpha particle.

The article pretty much debunks [1] by concluding that heavier atoms do most damage, but are still manageable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Just how dangerous is it to travel at 20% the speed of li... by scrumper on Wednesday August 24, 2016 @04:38PM (#12355074)

Thanks for the correction! Bad memory on my part.

So the article refutes [1] because the relatively easy to manage mechanical effects of those alpha particles on the spacecraft exterior mean that it actually functions as an effective, long-term shield against alpha particles?

[ Parent | on HN ]