Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Radiation: reactor vs space


This plot, from exomaria, compares the relative radiation doses from various reactor accidents to that found on the surface of the Jovian moon Europa.

Anyone wondering why a mission to the Jupiter system needs radiation hardened electronics should look at this picture. For many scientists, Europa is the solar system's next best hope for hosting life. Fortunately for any would-be inhabitants, the icy crust of the moon should shield against all of this radiation.

For comparison, the daily dose on the International Space Station is similar to the Three Mile Island or Fukushima "3o km downwind" dose.

1 comment:

Mike Britton said...

I thought it was funny that xkcd was cited until I looked at their dose chart, which is pretty slick.