Not that I WANT to terraform Mars...

I'm still unconvinced that a magnetic field is indispensable. Even if
without the magnetic field the radiation level is ten times higher, as far
as I know the radiation level at Earth's surface is so low that a level 10
times higher would not be dangerous yet. Perhaps it would be less than that
experienced by someone who works with radioisotopes.

Eventually, I'll check this information at my "The Higher Frontier", but
right now I'm too sleepy to do that ;-). By the way, if your reasoning is
correct, it would also imply that space settlements would have to have a
passive shield 100 meters thick, instead of just 10 meters thick.

Lucio Coelho

From: "Bill"
To:
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 12:41 AM
Subject: [spacesettlers] Re: Not that I WANT to terraform Mars...

For everyone who is not yet convinced the magnetic field is necessary
go to google or your favourite search engine and type von allen belt.

The von allen belts is the belts of cosmic rays that get trapped above
the atmosphere by the earth's magentic field and is disappiated at
the north and south pole.

The erath's magnetic field traps over 90% of the cosmic rays. With out
it the earth's atmosphere would have to be 10 times as thick.
[snikt]