The Miraculous NASA Breakthrough That Could Save Millions of Lives (UPDATED)

Gizmodo ^ | 2/8/12 | Brent Rose

[econjack]

Another use for nanotubes is to inject them directly into a tumor and them aim high frequency radio waves (I think around 13Ghz) at the tumor. The nanotubes heat up from the radio waves and literally “cook” the tumor.

[ShadowAce]

They discovered that we could outlaw abortion?

[Lady Lucky]

When astronauts travel beyond Low Earth Orbit...they are at risk of acute radiation exposure from "solar particle events," sudden releases of intense radiation from the sun, which can damage bone marrow and wipe out someone's immune system.

Can someone enlighten (npi!) me as to these instantaneously deadly solar burps? I always thought that it takes some time for solar flare effects to reach this far, and a simple system of monitoring the sun would be sufficient.

[equaviator]

Far out, man!

[kevkrom]

I always thought that it takes some time for solar flare effects to reach this far, and a simple system of monitoring the sun would be sufficient.

By the time you'd monitor them, they'd already be there. Even if you set up remote monitoring closer to the sun, the monitor can't transmit the information any faster than the particles are moving.

[Lady Lucky]

Are you saying the harmful radiation travels as fast as the light? Just wondering :) If you don’t know, I am not asking you to do the research. But if you do —

[GraceG]

Star Trek like Radiation treatment.

[wbill]

Interesting idea. What happens if the “capsule” gets hit with something?

[patton]

Radiation is light. Or vice versa.

[Pox]

Yeah, right. And if one of those capsule cells contained, oh, say, cyanide or sarin, and one day someone decides you need to be terminated for whatever reason and they signal that capsule cell to release its contents, you're going to have a very bad day.

No thank you.

[thackney]

Radiation is light.

The gamma radiation, which is a vast majority component of this radiation from solar flare, travels at the speed of light in the vacuum of space. And for this topic, that is all that matters.

I only wanted to clarify that beta and alpha radiation, not significant in this issue, but far more applicable to say a nuclear power plant, are not the same, they are particles.

[Lady Lucky]

Radiation is light. Or vice versa.

To be sure. Meanwhile there's a wiki article here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flare...that says, way down under "Hazards,"

"Most proton storms take two or more hours from the time of visual detection to reach Earth's orbit. A solar flare on January 20, 2005 released the highest concentration of protons ever directly measured...taking only 15 minutes after observation to reach Earth, indicating a velocity of approximately one-third light speed, giving astronauts as little as 15 minutes to reach shelter."

So...it would appear there is a way to get alerted and duck. Like around 2 hours after visual detection. Usually.

[Bayan]

Enjoy it while it lasts. The Obama regime has already destroyed the manned space program and they are in the process of destroying the unmanned space program. In the future NASA will be dedicted only to producing bogus climate science.

[Lady Lucky]

The gamma radiation, which is a vast majority component of this radiation from solar flare, travels at the speed of light in the vacuum of space. And for this topic, that is all that matters.

Okay, I defer to your wisdom. You better tell wiki to get in line. From the link in my earlier post, "Solar flares...can produce streams of highly energetic particles in the solar wind, known as a solar proton event...These particles can...present radiation hazards to spacecraft, astronauts and cosmonauts."

[thackney]

You better tell wiki to get in line.

Because it is wiki, I can tell it anything I want. It is then recorded until someone else changes it. Until, people think it is true.

If the particles were moving at the speed of light, you would get a whole lot of interesting results, Einstein level conversations at that point.

Solar flares do send out particles. The particles are radioactive as the sun is a giant nuclear reactor. However, those particles are NOT traveling at the speed of light and you have time to react if you are an earth type distance from the sun.

Here is an example of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME, solar flare). The particles travel time is measured in days. The X-Ray or gamma radiation is at the speed of light.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News060711-blast.html

[RoadGumby]

The only problem about ‘ducking’ is, where do you duck? A space capsule/ship is actually thin and light, less mass to maneuver. No where to hide, the exposure will happen.

[Wuli]

I read recently that scientists who know the science of medical technology best believe that “implanted” technology (yes, even computer chips and computer chip driven devices) and implanted biotechnical medicines [medicine plus the triggers to activate it and the monitors to activae the triggers - like this story] will become the norm of medicine, and life extension in the not distant future.

Can anyone say “borg”.

[Lady Lucky]

It was a metaphor.

[Captain Beyond]

bflr