
Starfish Prime - ZeljkoS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime
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mimixco
This is an important and little-known event that relates to space travel (or
the lack of it) today. It's possible that the government was trying to blow a
hole through the Van Allen Belts, rings of deadly radiation that surround our
planet. A hole would let rockets with men aboard travel through the belts
without irradiating them to death.

Instead, Starfish Prime made the Van Allen Belts bigger and more radioactive.
In hindsight, releasing a nuclear weapon in space seems like a terrible idea.

When NASA talks today about taking men to the moon or to Mars, they sometimes
mention the problem of the Van Allen Belts. NASA has never explained how the
Apollo astronauts were to have traveled through these regions without being
fried to death.

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FiatLuxDave
Perhaps this will help you understand:
[https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SMIII_Problem...](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SMIII_Problem7.pdf)

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mimixco
I didn't need a math paper for children. NASA's own astronauts have discussed
this problem, even recently. It remains a problem today. But thank you.

