Lead shielding against Van allen belts?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of lead shielding against radiation from the Van Allen belts, particularly in the context of the Apollo missions and conspiracy theories regarding moon landings. Participants explore the implications of using lead as a shielding material against high-energy particle radiation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern that lead shielding is dangerous due to its high atomic number, which may produce x-rays when struck by high-energy particles.
  • Another participant argues that lead is not inherently bad, as it can reduce the dose rate from low-energy particles while increasing the dose from high-energy particles.
  • There is a mention that the Apollo missions crossed the Van Allen belts quickly, resulting in a relatively small additional radiation dose, supported by existing scientific literature.
  • One participant acknowledges the frustration with conspiracy theories surrounding the Van Allen belts and moon landings, indicating a desire to counter misinformation.
  • Another participant points out that discussions about conspiracy theories are against forum rules, suggesting a need to adhere to community guidelines.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the safety and effectiveness of lead shielding against radiation, with no consensus reached on the best approach or the validity of the conspiracy theories mentioned.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the complexity of radiation interactions with materials and the need for credible scientific references, indicating that assumptions about lead shielding may depend on specific conditions and contexts.

james gander
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(sorry - not sure about the prefix)
I have read that lead shielding is dangerous against high energy particle radiation because of the high atomic number in lead.

The particles would have high chance of hitting the lead atomic nuclei and producing x-rays.

I am fed up with moon landing conspiracy theorists using the Van Allen belts radiation as "proof" we didnt go to the moon.

Could someone please post some pages that are not Wikepedia (they say it is in on the conspiracy) that i can use for a citation? A paper done by some credible scientists would be excellent. Something explaining that lead is a bad thing to use with this type of radiation.

I know you can't win with the conspiracy lot but i can win this Van Allen belt lie that they are spreading.

Thankyou very much, your help is really appreciated.
 
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Lead is not a bad thing. Yes, it increases the dose rate from high-energetic particles because they start showers in the material, but it reduces the much higher dose rate from low-energetic particles significantly (by simply stopping them and their showers).

The Apollo missions crossed the Van Allen belts within hours, the dose rate there is well-known, multiplied with a few hours the result is a small additional dose. There are tons of papers about radiation levels in the belts.

james gander said:
i can win this Van Allen belt lie that they are spreading
There is nothing to win - the claim is ridiculous anyway, to keep it up you have to ignore science completely. If you can do that, you can ignore one more comment about science as well.
 
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mfb said:
There is nothing to win - the claim is ridiculous anyway, to keep it up you have to ignore science completely. If you can do that, you can ignore one more comment about science as well.

Sorry mfb i should of checked my post. I didnt mean i "can" win the Van Allen argument. It was meant to say i "cant" win the argument. I agree with you totally, there is nothing to win.

It is just this conspiracy drives me nuts mad with their lies and made up science.
 
You are aware that discussions about conspiracy theories is against the PF rules, right? (Even debunking discussions are not allowed...)
 
berkeman said:
You are aware that discussions about conspiracy theories is against the PF rules, right? (Even debunking discussions are not allowed...)
Sorry i was not aware. I can see why that rule should be enforced though. Thanks.
 
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You could post about this on http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/ , but read their rules carefully first, and they may already have lots of material on the topic of moon landings supposedly being a hoax.
 

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