How can a space station be protected from UV rays?

Question

I need to build a model of a space station that can survive in space for 10 years.

The station model I am going to build needs to be able to survive for 10 years in space. It will be traveling to Jupiter. I have materials from a NEX (a military Wal Mart) and this is a school project. How can I do it?

Answer 1

UV rays are easy--all you need is a UV-opaque material--which is practilly any solid layer. UV is the type of radiation that cuuses sunburn--and all you need is a layer of almost anything.

The real problem is the charged particles thrown out by the Sun--the "solar wind. Close to earth, (as with the International Space Station) its not a problem,b ecause the earth's magnetic field protects earth and nearby space.

There is radiation, of course. A layer of any material (on earth, the atmosphere serves this function) that provides about 10 gram per square centimeter will stop enough other radiation for mid term safety. But for long term protection, especially outside the influence of earth's magnetic field, you really need to use an artificially generated magnetic field. There's an interesting problem with this--and this is a serious research aarea for NASA. It is hard to generate a strong enough field to protect a small object--a ship r space station--but fairly easy to generate a larger field. The way this works is complicated--but ultimately that's probably going to be the techology of choice.

BTW--for a 10 year time frame, you also need to look at how to spin the station--humans aren't likely to be ble to tolerate periods of zero gravity for that long.

Answer 2

UV doesn't penetrate things like metal, specially coated glass [btw UV coating for things like sunglasses was invented by NASA decades ago], cloth, etc. UV radiation only passes through vacuum and some gases unhindered--like the gases making up the Earth's air. So, as long as the astronauts are inside a space station, they're protected. The biggest thing they have to worry about is cosmic radiation. The particles are so energetic, they pass through everything--and are doing so through you and me and everyone else right now. Astronauts still report little flashes of light in their eyes when their eyes are shut while out in space. These are a result of the particles going through their skulls or eyelids or whatever to get to their retinas.

Answer 3

forget about uv rays worry about gamma and x rays and metiors those things can kill a space station.