Abstract
We refer to the environment of interplanetary space as deep space, in contrast to the space in the vicinity of a planet, such as Earth, Venus, or Jupiter. This chapter highlights the dominant factors to consider when designing a mission that traverses interplanetary space, with emphasis on solar flux and harmful radiation. Solar flux is particularly important as it defines the habitable zone and the frost line, both of which are crucial in the search for water. In technical terms, solar flux is a decisive factor in the development of solar-electric propulsion systems. Radiation presents a severe challenge for both humans and machines.
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Notes
- 1.
An interesting theory is that the Earth will spiral away from the Sun’s barycentre as the Sun loses mass due to the increased solar wind that is part of the evolution towards the red giant.
- 2.
- 3.
The famous Russian astronomer, Kardashev (1932–2019) ranked civilizations in a scale from I to III. Type I civilizations are capable of using energy resources of a single planet. Type II civilizations use the full energy of a star. Type III civilizations have access to the energy of an entire galaxy [2].
- 4.
We ignore the microwave background temperature of 2.726Â K caused by photons floating the universe since the big bang.
- 5.
Since the distance of Earth to the Sun changes over one revolution, the solar constant is actually not constant but changes periodically around this value, with a maximum of 1408Â W/m\(^2\) at perihelion and a minimum of 1314Â W/m\(^2\) at aphelion.
- 6.
Corpuscule comes from latin and stands for small body. The term dates back to a natural philosophy dominant in the 17th century called Corpuscularianism. It believed that all phenomena can be explained by the interaction of particles. Newton used the term to establish a theory for optics.
- 7.
It is indeed an irony of fate that humans invent sophisticated technologies to venture out into the universe only to find a cave for shelter at the first opportunity.
- 8.
The key word is ‘warning’. This is achieved by a dedicated network of ground-based observation telescopes and space-based satellites that constantly observe the Sun and establish predictive models. Global collaboration is essential to save human lives and space assets. This task belongs to the domain called Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
- 9.
Hydrogen and hydrogen-based protection is the preferred choice as shielding material. Heavier elements like lead cause secondary order elements, which are less but still harmful. New materials are currently subject of intense research to mitigate this threat and enable long duration crewed space travel [8].
- 10.
Most of these occasions were extreme situation during war or airplane crashes in the wilderness in which the instinct of survival takes control. Mission control, however, needs rational thinking personal under life-threatening circumstances.
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Gamgami, F. (2024). Deep Space Conditions. In: Space Propulsion and Spaceship Design. Springer Praxis Books(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71336-1_3
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