Space Radiation

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Space is trying to kill you. It tries to kill you in many different ways. One of those ways is to flood itself with dangerous radiation that can kill biological organisms, damage or disable electronics, and degrade some kinds of materials.

Galactic Cosmic Rays

Space is filled with energetic charged particles – primarily protons but also including other light and medium ions. These are not associated with any immediate stellar environment but instead are thought to come primarily from supernovas and fill the galaxy with their radiation.

Stellar Corpse Environments

Supernovas

If you are near a supernova, space radiation is probably one of the smaller of your concerns. However, Type II supernovas are notable in being one of the only phenomena known that can produce dangerous levels of neutrino radiation. Neutrinos are normally so penetrating that they go through everything without significant interactions. However, the core collapse of Type II supernovas makes neutrinos in such prodigious quantities that enough of them can interact and cause radiation sickness and death within approximately the distance of the inner solar system.

Artificial Radiation Sources

The main focus of this article is on natural sources of radiation. But if you expect to operate in space you will also need to consider common artificial radiation sources. Many spacecraft and other space infrastructure are expected to be powered by fission or fusion reactors, or to use fission or fusion propulsion. All of these will produce copious amounts of nuclear radiation in the form of energetic neutrons, gamma rays, and the emissions of radioactive isotopes produced through fission or neutron capture. Without an atmosphere to attenuate the radiation produced, high power radiation sources can have an effect over a much larger distance than a similar unshielded source on Earth. This will produce a hostile radiation environment that will require large exclusion zones or shielding.

In addition, space conflict scenarios are likely to use particle beam weapons, x-ray or gamma-ray lasers, and nuclear explosives. All of these produce radiation as a primary effect or side effect of their operation.

Nuclear reactors and explosions in the vicinity of a planet with a magnetic field can make artificial radiation belts that persist for days to years (depending on the altitude), and can severely damage electronics operating within or passing through the belt.

Credit

Author: Luke Campbell