[frankwestphal]

What are the primary types of potentially damaging (to humans) solar radiation, and what are the most effective, cost-efficient, materials that could be used to block each type?

[Borek]

Please read forum rules.

Remember: library first, wiki/google second, ask on forums third!

[frankwestphal]

I thought the idea of a forum was to reduce the leg work. If you asked me an audio engineering question, I wouldn't say go to a recording studio and find out. I'd just answer because I know it's a lot easier for me to just tell you than it is for you to go to a recording studio and waste your time trying to learn something many others already know. Would somebody please just brush their ego aside, and answer? Thanks.

[Mitch]

alpha and beta likely won't be a major concern as the spacecraft could block that type of radiation. Gamma radiation would be a dominant problem.

[Borek]

I thought the idea of a forum was to reduce the leg work.

There is no way for us to know whether you are not just throwing your homework question here. And it sounds like one.

[Maz]

Most importantly, I can't remember the last time I used my legs to browse the internet.  I can see how typing with your toes would take quite a while, but old fashioned finger typing "humans + radiation" into google will be pretty quick. 

Alphas die fast.  They usually are so low energy that in air they only travel a few centimeters before losing most of their energy.  In space then, your aluminum shielding will do you fine.

Betas are a similar story.  Your spaceship will shield you fine from that.

Gamma rays will fly right on through, probably through you too, without depositing their energy in you, altering your DNA and giving you cancer, but there is enough cause to be wary.  Blocking gamma's goes like this:  1.) Get as far away from the source as possible.  It's energy falls off like 1/r^2.  2.) Stick high-Z, high density materials in front, which you can't really do in space because high-Z, high-density materials weigh a lot, so good luck getting it up there. 

So basically, until someone perfects plasma shielding on such a large scale, we are out of luck.  On earth though, we could all live in lead domes...kind of the anti-bio-dome.  anyone remember that movie? lol.

[frankwestphal]

Thank you to those who gave answers to my question. For the others, did it ever occur to you that I'm not a chemistry student? Did it ever occur to you that I might just be an average person with a question about radiation? I thought going to a chemistry forum would be a good place to get a straight answer in Lehman's terms. I think that's a pretty logical assumption right? Evidently some of you have a lot to learn about discerning which thought processes might be different from yours. Here's a little hint.... D.U.M.B. It's an acronym. If you want a real challenge, consider the possible reasons for these existing, and maybe you'll gain some insight regarding the origin of my question. 

[Borek]

For the others, did it ever occur to you that I'm not a chemistry student? Did it ever occur to you that I might just be an average person with a question about radiation? I thought going to a chemistry forum would be a good place to get a straight answer

Browse forums for three years and you will learn that 95% of the questions that sound like homework are asked by HS students too lazy to open their book. Look at your posts from our point of view and you will see what I mean.

Oh, and BTW: assuming it is HS question, it most likely really asks about UV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_radiation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet

30 seconds googling and wikiing.