1,500 Magnets Could Form a Power-Free Radiation Shield for Astronauts

A 0.37-square-meter panel built from about 1,500 neodymium permanent magnets could deflect roughly 20% of low-energy solar protons while drawing no spacecraft power, the researchers estimate. The concept is still in feasibility testing, and the prototype design would weigh around 200 kilograms with magnet costs near $35,000, while leaving higher-energy particles largely unaffected. Beyond Earth’s […]