Star Trek Shields Now a Possibility?

An anonymous reader writes "British scientists have announced their intent to build a Star Trek-style magnetic shielding system to help protect astronauts from radiation. 'There are a variety of risks facing future space explorers, not least of which is the cancer-causing radiation encountered when missions venture beyond the protective magnetic envelope, or magnetosphere, which shields the Earth against these energetic particles. The Earth's magnetosphere deflects many of these particles; others are largely absorbed by the atmosphere.'"

Comments

Hmmm...

[Cpt_Kirks]

This is damn peculiar...

(I really should have raised them)

Re:Hmmm...

[ez76]

Recipe for a Slashdot "science" article:

1. Identify a nascent technology or scientific discovery, "A"
2. Identify a cool but implausible gimmick from a vintage science fiction movie/TV show, "B"
3. Pose headline asking: Does "A" imply "B"?
4. Watch as jokes about vintage science fiction movie/TV show "B" ensue.
5. Optional: Geeky sexual innuendo about the most attractive female character on "B"
6. Generate ad impressions

Re:Hmmm...

[VJ42]

you forgot:
7. ???
and
8. Profit!
Sorry, but I couldn't resist. :P

Re:Hmmm...

[Cpt_Kirks]

You also forgot:

"Have poster with screen name similar to character in SciFi show make inane comment based on line from said show".

Re:Hmmm...

[jdray]

Particularly in ST:TNG where most problems were solved by reconfiguring the deflector array to emit some heretofore unmentioned particle or wave.

"Geordi! The shower in my quarters is broken, and I haven't bathed in days."

"No problem, sir. I'll just reconfigure the deflector array to emit B.O. antiprotons, negating the effects emmanating from your pits."

Maybe with this

[soft_guy]

Maybe with this kind of a shielding system we might be able to put a man on the moon for real.

Alas

[rlp]

They'll probably need to leave them turned on at all times, so no one will get to say "Shields Up!".

Down-to-earth uses

[tom_75]

Astronauts, you say ? I can definitely see many applications right below the magnetosphere. Tired of the wife, kids, mortgage, urban stress and immune to http://www.davesdaily.com/pictures/302-fukitol.htm ? Energize !

Movies lead again!

[RedElf]

Once again, the movies/tv shows have lead the way to developing new technology!

Re:Cool!

[RsG]

Funny, this being slashdot, I'd have thought your first choice would be either a holodeck or seven of nine. :-P
(Though admittedly in either case the boobs in question aren't real, but hey.)

Fine, but dont call them 'Star Trek' shields

[LibertineR]

Any fool knows that the shields used on Star Trek were about heat absorbtion from Phaser fire and Photon torpedoes, also Mass deflection (ala the Tractor Beam) against asteroids and your odd ship explosion. Of Course, the shields were modified over the years to deal with Temporal Incursions and the Genesis effect, but it would be wrong these shields as simular to Star Trek.

I hope we have cleared that up, dammit.

Re:Cool!

[__aaclcg7560]

Holodeck -> See "World of Warcraft"
Seven of Nine -> Search Google for "Tribble Porn"

Bees!!!

[owlnation]

Can they be made really small?

Won't anyone think of the bees?

oh noes, your hard-drives got pwnz0red

[vivin]

Captain Kirk: Raise Shields!
Mr. Spock: Captain, may I remind you that these new shields developed by British scientists rely on Magnetic fields and as a result...
Captain Kirk: Not now Spock!
Chekov: Shields up, Captain!

Lights flicker, ship powers down. Emergency lights light up**

Captain Kirk: Spock! What happened?
Mr. Spock: It appears that the magnetic shields have erased our hard-drives. Our ship is powerless.
Captain Kirk: KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: I have no idea if magnetic shields would really erase hard-drives, but oh well! ;)

Dont you have cable?

[LibertineR]

You need big, heavy cryostats full of liquified gases.

No, no, no, dude.

You only need bio-gel packs and iso-linear chips. But, only the green ones.

If you use the red ones and get them mixed up, you'll need Data to save your ass.

Re:Cool!

[Anonymous Coward]

Bah. Wake me when they figure out how to realign the deflector array to fire a beam of inverse bullion particles into the temporal anomaly.

Thats OK.

[pavon]

As long as they can redirect primary power from the sheild to the deflector dish, I will be happy. They will have a deflector dish right? ... Right?

How Long Will It Take?

[filesiteguy]

I can see it now at the Didcot Science Centre (English spelling):

Manager: How long until we can get the shields operating?

Engineer: Eight Years

Manager: Eight Years?

Engineer: Yes, but you don't have eight years, so I'll do it in two.

Manager: Do you always multiply your design estimates by a factor of four?

Engineer: I have a reputation to maintain, sir.

Re:Cool!

[CommunistHamster]

Seven of Nine -> Search Google for "Tribble Porn"

MY EYES! The goggles, they do nothing!

Re:Cool!

[James_Duncan8181]

Actual pictures are quite difficult to find, but... here you are.

I could see it selling to the furry market...

Mods: look at his handle

[pragma_x]

Scotty, mod him up.

Re:Mods: look at his handle

[slashbob22]

Captain, I don't have the power..

No really, I am out of mod points.

Re:Mods: look at his handle

[CptPicard]

I would tell you to just make it so but it appears others already did...

Re:Mods: look at his handle

[Skevin]

Then, for Heaven's Sake, divert power from high-karma posts and meta-moderation!

Solomon

Re:Cool!

[vls]

yes, but will they be able to randomly shift the frequency of the field to keep the borg at bay?

Re:Shield frequency modulation

[yahooadam]

i don't know what is more worrying, your knowledge of star trek

or the fact you know the exact episode this happened

Re:Cool!

[kinglink]

Having a little experience with this question the answer that always seems to come up is between "no boobs and fake boobs, I'll choose fake boobs."

Oddly enough that's true in the porn industry as well.

Re:Misleading Title

[aztektum]

Pf you obviously don't know what you're talking about. The point in Jackass is wacking someone in the junk WITHOUT protective gear. They would have no interest in this technology.

Re:Cool!

[Mr. Bad Example]

>> Seven of Nine -> Search Google for "Tribble Porn"
>
> MY EYES! The goggles, they do nothing!

MY EYES! The Google, it does everything!

Not Seven of Nine, it's

[Organic Brain Damage]

Six of Nine...aka Borg Barbie. And those aren't breasts, they're special-purpose cybernetic processing implants...silicone chips, as it were. Mooohahah...I'd like to peta her flops.