New Space Settlement image

From: Tom Tucker (Olympia) [mailto:tntucker@...]

5) Gardens must be shielded from cosmic rays and solar wind/flares. The use
of high voltages to repel charged particles is recommended.

As it happens, the people will actually be more sensitive to radiation than
the plants.

You might want to read T. A. Heppenheimer's "Colonies In Space". He details
how in the early days of space settlement studies they looked at a
combination of positive charge and magnetic fields for shielding, but
eventually decided that the complications were prohibitive and that passive
shielding was both simpler and better.

You mentioned asteroid mining, so there should be plenty of leftover slag
available for shielding. You also mentioned using your station for momentum
transfers. A more-massive station would then be preferable.

Regards,
Mike Combs

From:
Tom Tucker (Olympia) [mailto:tntucker@...]
5) Gardens must be shielded from cosmic rays and solar wind/flares. The use of high voltages to repel charged particles is recommended.

As it happens, the people will actually be more sensitive to radiation than the plants.

You might want to read T. A. Heppenheimer's "Colonies In Space". He details how in the early days of space settlement studies they looked at a combination of positive charge and magnetic fields for shielding, but eventually decided that the complications were prohibitive and that passive shielding was both simpler and better.

You mentioned asteroid mining, so there should be plenty of leftover slag available for shielding. You also mentioned using your station for momentum transfers. A more-massive station would then be preferable.

Regards,
Mike Combs