[Dominick]

Sticking on my engineer hat, I did a lot of HTSC work in grad school.

Ceramic superconductors that operate at higher temperatures would deflect differently than an active magnetic field. A layer cooled to superconducting would sustain vortexes of flux, and also exclude flux from without. This would provide the shielding much like a normal Faraday shield. No current would be used or dissipated in a shield, and with proper radiator design, very little coolant would be required. .

In terms for nontechnical types, the tin enclosure of some electronics is a Faraday shield. It grounds the electrical potential cutting down EM waves. Magnetic flux not in a EM wave could penetrate, and a superconductor would act like this, except for magnetic fields. It would also require no power. In satellite design, a watt or two to make a active shield is a lot of power.

[Edward Watson]

thanks for the input. However, the earth's magnetic field isn't based upon superconductivity and is more than sufficient in shileding the earth.

Consequently, to my way of thinking, any magnetic field of sufficient strength to prevent charged particles from punching through is a good thing.

You know, try reading "Islands in the Sky" (Schmidt and Zubrin. Eds). Zubrin makes a compelling case for the Magsail.