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[DunDunDunpachi]

Op-Ed: Great science incoming as Voyagers find ‘Wall of Fire’ - Digital Journal

The Wall of Fire outside the Solar System is caused by electromagnetic (EM) radiation which is created by plasma and a local space environment full of

www.digitaljournal.com

The critical information is this:​

• Radiation in the Heliosphere (The Sun’s magnetic field of influence) is far lower than in external space.​

• Temperatures and radiation levels rise steeply, incredibly so, outside the Heliosphere.​

• The presence of hot plasma (charged particles) outside the Heliosphere is created by these very high levels of EM radiation, which remove electrons and create hot particles in large amounts. This is the “Wall of Fire”.​

​

What the Wall of Fire means for the future​

This sudden transition to a highly active environment will have a direct impact on any interstellar exploration. It’s a future obstacle course. It presents real issues for any sort of realistic exploration projects.​

​

A few questions now raised by the Voyagers’ data:​

• How would these very high levels of radiation affect onboard equipment, let alone people, for example?​

• What types of radiation are the most dangerous?​

• What shielding is required?​

• How do future space missions handle the plasma, heat, etc.?​

• What can be done to protect people in this environment?​

• What instrumentation is required to identify radiation and other properties?​

​

…It’s a much longer list, but you get the idea. These ARE the future problems, and this is the very first view of them. In context with the exploration and development of space, they’re the new story.​

---

Radiation outside of our sun's magnetic sphere is so high, particles are charged and enter the plasma state of matter.

a.k.a "fire"

A video link is provided as well (I really like this guy, and it is his video that introduced me to this piece of news)

 

[Tesseract]

this is the most depressing thing to come out in some time

 

[Trojita]

The Heliosphere is a giant magnetic field. It shields Earth from the stormy interstellar environments created by external sources. So, it’s a pretty good bet that this information is simply showing us that to beat EM fields and radiation, you need a good, mobile magnetic field.

“Duh”, you say? You’re right. It’s obvious. It couldn’t be more obvious. It has, in fact, always been obvious. Yet space exploration media has droned on interminably and inexplicably for decades about “hazards of radiation” as some sort of future insurmountable obstacle, however imaginary.

Now, we have the information required to demand proper development of EM shields to combat these murderous levels of EM radiation. Get out the buckets and spades, guys, because this is your next job. End this problem. Bury it, and make sure no pedantic SOBs get in the way of solving it.

At least we don't have to create a Gellar Field.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Yeah, but, that’s ok, because event horizon told me I can fold a sexy woman in half and appear where I want. So I’m ok.

 

[TheKillerStove]

Disappointing news, but I'm sure we'll persevere. We've overcome what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles in the past, and I'm sure our species will be able to do it again.

 

[Tesseract]

it is possible that we're stuck here with no foreseeable way out

not that we should accept limits, but it's clear the universe does

 

[TheKillerStove]

I understand that, but I dont want to give up while our understanding of the universe is still incomplete. Call it the optimist in me, but I dont like giving up while the solution may lay in undiscovered advances.

 

[DESTROYA]

I just find it incredible that the Voyager probes are still sending us back valuable information.
At least it’s better to know about the Wall of Fire and prepare than to be surprised .

 

[Tesseract]

I understand that, but I dont want to give up while our understanding of the universe is still incomplete. Call it the optimist in me, but I dont like giving up while the solution may lay in undiscovered advances.

same, just keeping it real

 

[DeepEnigma]

it is possible that we're stuck here with no foreseeable way out

not that we should accept limits, but it's clear the universe does

Sounds like Hell or Purgatory. Even has a wall of fire to contain.

 

[Weilthain]

I just find it incredible that the Voyager probes are still sending us back valuable information.
At least it’s better to know about the Wall of Fire and prepare than to be surprised .

Never underestimate 1970’s space internet

 

[EverydayBeast]

Science news like this good or bad is always incredible.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Disappointing news, but I'm sure we'll persevere. We've overcome what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles in the past, and I'm sure our species will be able to do it again.

The "wall" isn't impassible, it's just much hotter than the space within the sun's magnetic aura due to radiation exciting the space dust. The density of particles isn't thick enough to melt either of the Voyager probes, so I cannot imagine it would pose any real threat to space travel.

 

[Kadayi]

Cosmic Radiation?

 

[Blade2.0]

Love space. Wish I was born like 300 years in the future though.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

this is the most depressing thing to come out in some time

We can't even space travel properly how is this depressing?

 

[E-Cat]

We will be sending robots on interstellar missions, not humans.

 

[Tesseract]

We will be sending robots on interstellar missions, not humans.

not if the quantum psycho mutant teleglitch program is a success

 

[mcz117chief]

not if the quantum psycho mutant teleglitch program is a success

Don't know what it is but I like it.

 

[Pejo]

What a great video at the link. Really sums this up well. Super interesting.

 

[Potato Chip PRO]

That's not a problem... We Mexicans can dig a tunnel underneath that fire wall...... But in all seriousness, we still haven't reached Mars to "colonize and we're worried about a Fire wall that's far AF.

 

[Thaedolus]

Weilthain I expected a joke about an astronaut peeing in the pool or something. Am disappoint.

 

[-Arcadia-]

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Sounds like a good place for a dyson sphere aka Nibiru

 

[Weilthain]

Weilthain I expected a joke about an astronaut peeing in the pool or something. Am disappoint.

My space internet joke wasn’t good enough for you? I only have like 5 different jokes I rotate around I can’t please everyone all the time.

space is still fake though.

 

[Stilton Disco]

See, difficult shit like this to overcome is why, as a species, we need to get series about space travel.

No ones going to have time to quibble over the colour of your skin, get angry about what god you pray to or make up a new gender for themselves when we've got to knuckle down and put our heads together to find a way not to be roasted alive by space fire.

 

[Ownage]

it is possible that we're stuck here with no foreseeable way out

not that we should accept limits, but it's clear the universe does

Limits for human flesh, but not if we are robots.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

How does it get even HOTTER outside of the Sun's Magnetic Field? Is deep Space really that hot in comparison?

What happens when the Sun dies then? Even if the Sun ends up as a White Dwarf, what does that mean for the Planets such as Jupiter/Saturn etc that no longer have that protection of the Magnetic Field?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

How does it get even HOTTER outside of the Sun's Magnetic Field? Is deep Space really that hot in comparison?

What happens when the Sun dies then? Even if the Sun ends up as a White Dwarf, what does that mean for the Planets such as Jupiter/Saturn etc that no longer have that protection of the Magnetic Field?

 

[infinitys_7th]

The "wall" isn't impassible, it's just much hotter than the space within the sun's magnetic aura due to radiation exciting the space dust. The density of particles isn't thick enough to melt either of the Voyager probes, so I cannot imagine it would pose any real threat to space travel.

I bet that the plasma will gradually fade as well with distance from the solar system. The high frequency EM will probably stay constant, though.

Theoretically, warp bubbles would give safe travel, as the radiation would bend around the bubble just like the rest of space. Deflecting light overwise is difficult.

 

[John Day]

I would assume, thinking on layman science here, that it’s very hot at the limits of our sun’s influence because particles running that distance from the sun slow down until reaching that distance. So, bear with me, maybe they don’t just dissapear away when stopping at that distance, but rather just accumulate there?

Talking shit here of course, but that news is rather exciting! Another barrier to break through!

 

[#Phonepunk#]

woah that is wild. temperature rises outside of the heliosphere? that is kind of weird, that the area around the sun would be colder than the area outside of it.

interstellar science is fascinating but very strange. what we think of as space isn't really just empty area, and heavenly bodies seem to have an immense impact on that "empty space". the future of space travel will require a level of understanding all of this that we have yet to comprehend.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Cool to hear. Like the scare every few years an asteroid is approaching Earth and all it takes is a small change in angle and we're all dead. Batting 0.000.

Whatever hot plasma is out there A. Likely won't hurt us, and B. Even if it does, it'll reach Earth in probably the year 240,544,102

 

[John Day]

Cool to hear. Like the scare every few years an asteroid is approaching Earth and all it takes is a small change in angle and we're all dead. Batting 0.000.

Whatever hot plasma is out there A. Likely won't hurt us, and B. Even if it does, it'll reach Earth in probably the year 240,544,102

Nah i don’t think article is meant to alarm us that it’s coming to us. But rather, about our space exploration beyond the solar system, which is still very very, oh very, far away lol.

 

[Thurible]

this is the most depressing thing to come out in some time

I personally wouldn't call it depressing, disappointing perhaps. Maybe we can't send probes to instellar space now, but we may find a way in the future. Either way, I don't expect humanity itself ever moving beyond the solar system, if even that.

EDIT: Scratch that, I didn't properly understand what was going on.

 

[Pagusas]

You people are being way to depressive about this. We now have a problem to solve, it’s what us humans do .

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Keep in mind that the "wall of fire" is because the space is not protected by the sun's magnetic field. A solution to keep any probes safe in this zone could be engineered. I want to reiterate that both Voyagers are in this zone without immolating and they've been sending back temperature data, which is how we know about this phenomenon in the first place.

It'd be more dangerous to land a probe on Venus or deeper into Jupiter than going into this outer region beyond the sun's heliosphere.

 

[Blade2.0]

We can't even space travel properly how is this depressing?

that's what's depressing

 

[MetalAlien]

Once we get robot bodies this won't be a problem.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Once we get robot bodies this won't be a problem.

tfw you will never be able to get chromed out in your lifetime
Fuck this fleshbag shell.

 

[iconmaster]

Don’t even think about trying to escape.

 

[Mihos]

The density of this radiation is still incredibly low. Low enough that tech from the 70s can survive it. I mean a density of 2 ionized particles per cubic kilometer up from 1 is a 100% increase and considered sharp in an op-ed piece

 

[GymWolf]

So even the aliens have their space trump building walls...

 

[DoctorEkkoUK]

Johny Cash knew it all along...

 

[Tesseract]

it's another brick in the wall, would be nice to catch a break once in a while

universe doesn't care

 

[jason10mm]

This is probably good news because it means there is a higher density of stuff out there that can be collected and utilized. It is very unlikely that we will ever be able to accelerate anything to a good fraction of light speed so collisions are less concerning than the ability to collect particles for remass using a mag scoop.

 

[JSoup]

My first thought was Spelljammers, of all fucking things, was the thing to get the universe right.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Ever seen that show "Ascension" where they've basically believed they've been in space, but its just an experiment to see how people would react to living out in space

Queue Johnny Cash

 

[ExpandKong]

We will be sending robots on interstellar missions, not humans.

I think this was the exact premise of beloved janky-ass PS2 game, Robot Alchemic Drive (R.A.D.)

In that game, “nectar radiation” or “the nectar barrier” was the thing prohibiting humans from further space travel, so the giant kickass robots were created to be our galactic progeny, so to speak.

Also best voice acting ever

Basically nasa is gonna start building gundams so get excited

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I am guessing this is one of the endings to a CAVE game, no doubt!