Discussing reasonable ways to colonize our solar system

Artificial Magnetic Fields For Artifical Worlds

Posted by on Apr 9, 2007 in Blog, Callisto, Ganymede, Jupiter, Saturn, Solar Essay, Technology, Titan | 5 comments

(Image Credit: NASA)

Aside from war and disease, the biggest threat to our (future) space faring species is radiation. Whether it comes from the Sun, a Jovian parent, or from a distant black hole, radiation can easily determine which worlds will be ruled by humans and which ones will be roamed by our robotic friends.

Although many may point to underground colonies as a means to survive on these sterile worlds, such an idea may not attract the masses (as living underground does not provide a glamorous view of the universe). Worse, underground colonies may have a counter affect on us colonizing our solar system, with the vast majority of people opting to live on the home world than off world.

But what if we could construct gigantic magnetic devices enabling a planet or moon to be shielded by a magnetic field? Such a device would enable our species to not only colonize Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s E-ring moons (which are too radioactive for surface habitation, respectively) but also enable various plants and animals to thrive on the red planet.

Without such a device our species would be limited to colonizing Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Callisto, not to mention Saturn’s Titan. Although radiation on Mars may be tolerable, it would probably not be the ideal place to terraform as any ecosystems exported there may suffer from the wrath of a solar flare.

Despite the fact that this technology would be centuries away, it may be reasonable to explore current ways of developing artificial magnetic fields, as it would enable us to not only conquer our own solar system, but those that orbit other stars.

(Image Credit: Windows to the Universe)

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  • L. Riofrio

    Cool post. You also used magnetic fields as a selector for which of 83 worlds was worth colonising. Scientists still can't figure out the origin of Earth's magnetic field, but there is hope for progress.

  • Darnell Clayton

    Hey Louise,Thanks for stopping by. The fact that we can not figure this out must be frustrating for many scientists, as a revelation here could enable us to figure out ways to "jump start" a planet's magnetic field (or create one from scratch).If only NASA were working on something like this…

  • Martin

    i think the issue of creating a device that could protect a satellite or planet from solar radiation is beyond NASA's mandate. This sort of technological ingenuity remains in the docket of university engineers and professors and research facilities; though funding always plays a major impediment to scientific progress.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000158170340 Scott Ripley

    Make a coil of wire and pass a current through it. You make a magnetic field. Scale up the coil and current there is no limit to how big a field you can make. Drill tunnels under the surface of the planet to be terra formed around the circumference, build a coil of conductive materials in the tunnel and power it with one or more large nuclear reactors. Perhaps more than one coil would be necessary, maybe a network of several working in tandem to create the needed field. Just a thought.

  • greg tomko

    There is a rotating magnetic force applied to the earth by the earths rotation relative to the constant stream of charged particles released from the sun. The iron core is spinning like the rest of the earth,relative to the charged particles flowing past. It is so similar to an electric induction motor that it seems like the solar radiation must play a role in creating the magnetic field.