Philosophy
As I wrote several years ago, the concept of space travel for man is extremely complex and fraught with unknown issues. Any one issue could abort the entire sojourn and such is the idea of the influence of the Earth's magnetic fields on the physiology of humans. Maybe best just to use probes and the like at this time.
The absence of Earth's magnetic field could lead to astronauts developing mental disorders during interplanetary flights, particularly expeditions to Mars, Russian scientists said.
Researchers from the Biology and Biophysics Research Institute at Tomsk State University and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Biomedical Problems have conducted a number of experiments to study rats' behavior when isolated from the Earth's magnetic field.
The experiments showed that the rats lost social skills, had problems with memory, and experienced changes in their internal organs.
Natalya Krivova, the biophysics institute director, and Kirill Trukhanov, lead researcher at the Institute for Biomedical Problems, told RIA Novosti that the terrestrial magnetic field affects all living organisms.
"Moreover, the field, in the history of biosphere existence, changed and at some moments became zero," Trukhanov said. "There is a suggestion that certain catastrophes in biota, say, dinosaur extinction, are connected with the disappearance of the magnetic field at certain moments."
The scientists constructed a special unit where the terrestrial magnetic field was reduced to a little as one-thousandth of its usual strength. Twelve rats were put into the "magnet-free chamber" for 25 days, and then for another 10 days, while another 12 rats remained in normal conditions.
Both groups were monitored 24 hours a day. Krivova said the first thing researchers observed was increased aggression among rats living under the reduced magnetic field.
She said fights are a way for rats to establish a hierarchy, and they stop once the social order is set. The scientist said the rats deprived of the usual magnetic field "forgot" how to establish the hierarchy and lost social skills.
The rats were also observed to have memory failures. The group experiencing a small magnetic field forgot their surroundings and began inspecting the already known environment once again.
The Earth's magnetic field intensity is 50 microtesla, which is thousands of times stronger than the magnetic fields of Mars or Mercury. It is this powerful field that protects the Earth's surface and all living creatures from the solar wind, a flow of charged particles from the Sun.
Trukhanov said existing manned spacecraft operate at relatively low altitudes, where the magnetic field is about 20% less than on the Earth's surface; but astronauts on interplanetary expeditions would have to live with the absence of magnetic field.
Trukhanov suggested artificial magnetic fields could be generated on spacecraft to prevent mental disorders.
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Philosophy
Space travel...real issues
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
The Shadow knows."
The Shadow knows."
As I wrote several years ago, the concept of space travel for man is extremely complex and fraught with unknown issues. Any one issue could abort the entire sojourn and such is the idea of the influence of the Earth's magnetic fields on the physiology of humans. Maybe best just to use probes and the like at this time.
"Magnetic Hunger Could Drive Space Travelers Insane"
October 2nd, 2008
SpaceDaily
October 2nd, 2008
SpaceDaily
The absence of Earth's magnetic field could lead to astronauts developing mental disorders during interplanetary flights, particularly expeditions to Mars, Russian scientists said.
Researchers from the Biology and Biophysics Research Institute at Tomsk State University and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Biomedical Problems have conducted a number of experiments to study rats' behavior when isolated from the Earth's magnetic field.
The experiments showed that the rats lost social skills, had problems with memory, and experienced changes in their internal organs.
Natalya Krivova, the biophysics institute director, and Kirill Trukhanov, lead researcher at the Institute for Biomedical Problems, told RIA Novosti that the terrestrial magnetic field affects all living organisms.
"Moreover, the field, in the history of biosphere existence, changed and at some moments became zero," Trukhanov said. "There is a suggestion that certain catastrophes in biota, say, dinosaur extinction, are connected with the disappearance of the magnetic field at certain moments."
The scientists constructed a special unit where the terrestrial magnetic field was reduced to a little as one-thousandth of its usual strength. Twelve rats were put into the "magnet-free chamber" for 25 days, and then for another 10 days, while another 12 rats remained in normal conditions.
Both groups were monitored 24 hours a day. Krivova said the first thing researchers observed was increased aggression among rats living under the reduced magnetic field.
She said fights are a way for rats to establish a hierarchy, and they stop once the social order is set. The scientist said the rats deprived of the usual magnetic field "forgot" how to establish the hierarchy and lost social skills.
The rats were also observed to have memory failures. The group experiencing a small magnetic field forgot their surroundings and began inspecting the already known environment once again.
The Earth's magnetic field intensity is 50 microtesla, which is thousands of times stronger than the magnetic fields of Mars or Mercury. It is this powerful field that protects the Earth's surface and all living creatures from the solar wind, a flow of charged particles from the Sun.
Trukhanov said existing manned spacecraft operate at relatively low altitudes, where the magnetic field is about 20% less than on the Earth's surface; but astronauts on interplanetary expeditions would have to live with the absence of magnetic field.
Trukhanov suggested artificial magnetic fields could be generated on spacecraft to prevent mental disorders.
- Deceased--kinsey A. Anderson
Kinsey A. Anderson September 18th, 1926 to June 11th, 2011 "Pioneering space physicist Kinsey Anderson has died at 85" by Robert Sanders June 29th, 2012 UC Berkeley Kinsey A. Anderson, a professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley,...
- Magnetic Nail Polish...a New Fad?
"The Physics of Magnetic Nail Polish"byEsther Inglis-ArkellFebruary 17th, 2012io9Being of the Hack 'em Off or Chew 'em Up school of nail design, I was unaware that there was such a thing as magnetic nail polish. Now that I've learned about...
- Jedi Onboard Juno Probe
NASA's Juno spacecraft, set to arrive at Jupiter in 2016, carries three APL-built Jupiter Energetic-particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) units. Each unit weighs 15.5 pounds and uses 7 watts of power. For scale, the box that contains electronics and...
- Nasa's Polar Satellite--"the Broken Heart"/death
NASA's Polar satellite had out lived its parameters of life by a decade and provided volumes of data. Again, a few dollars spent and a wealth of information taken. It is somewhat sad to see the last photograph taken... As far as endings go, this one’s...
- Harry Potter And Science
There is science in the episodic adventures of the Hogwarts's hero and sidekicks. The Science of Harry Potter: How Magic Really Works by Roger Highfield ISBN: 0670031534 "The Science of Harry Potter by, Roger Highfield" December 1st, 2002 The Observer...