@Tom-a-tom,
Tom-a-tom wrote:
I don't know about everyone else but I've been doing some thinking... The Earths magnetic field protects us from radiation from nuclear reactions on the sun, in particular, gamma radiation... and lots of it! Now, it takes at least 6 inches of lead to stop gamma radiation (when there is no magnetic field involved) and it seems to me that getting a lead rocket off the ground is rather unlikely.... hmmm.... Without any protection from the radiation, radiation sickness will take is toll from anywhere between a few hours to a few weeks... and you'd have a dead crew...of course it's possible to go into space provided you stay under the magnetic field... the international space station for example is still within the magnetic field. This is just my opinion based on my understanding of how the world works.
Please document your assertion that the radiation levels outside of the Earth's magnetic field are lethal without at least a six inch lead shield.
Ok, with a bit of research along this thought trail I have learnt that radiation in space does not exists as it does down here on earth. Cosmic radiation is made up of high speed particles and atomic nuclei completely stripped of their electrons... This is a passage from the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center about cosmic radiation:
"Galactic cosmic rays include heavy, high-energy ions of elements
that have had all their electrons stripped away as they journeyed
through the galaxy at nearly the speed of light. Cosmic rays,
which can cause the ionization of atoms as they pass through matter,
can pass practically unimpeded through a typical spacecraft or
the skin of an astronaut. Galactic cosmic rays are the dominant
source of radiation that must be dealt with aboard the International
Space Station, as well as on future space missions within our solar
system. Because these particles are affected by the Sun’s magnetic
field, their average intensity is highest during the period of minimum
sunspots when the Sun’s magnetic field is weakest and less
able to deflect them. Also, because cosmic rays are difficult to
shield against and occur on each space mission, they are often
more hazardous than occasional solar particle events."
So this radiation is still a problem on the international space station, which is still within the earth's magnetic field... So you can imagine how much more of a problem this would be if you were to leave the magnetic field... The article also goes on to say that the effects of this radiation take a long time so it's still possible that the moon mission went ahead hoping the crew would not absorb too much radiation... Personally I wouldn't have taken the risk but it was a race after all.
@Tom-a-tom,
You are "imagining" not calculating the additional concentration in the regions beyond the concentrations due to the magnetic fields of the earth & sun. You are also completely ignoring any quantatative measures of the real biological harm due to radiation. In effect you are assuming that a radiation dose that is greater than what one would receive on the surface of the earth during the same realtively brief exposure, but otherwise unknown, would necessarily kill a human being. Obviously nonsense.
