radiation shielding

[steve98052]

Gas giant refueling is a standard idea in Traveller going all the way back to classic. Radiation damage to crew and non-fiber computers is almost as old, going back to classic High Guard.

I've read quite a few times over the years that Jupiter has intense radiation everywhere inside its magnetic belts, but I didn't think about how intense as it might apply to Traveller. But I just looked it up, and I read that Jupiter probes have encountered radiation (in the form of high energy electrons and protons) about a thousand times the lethal dose for humans.

So, to do a refueling run through Jupiter's atmosphere and live, a ship would need really heavy duty radiation shielding -- quite a bit more than the 1000 rads of protection provided by the optional starship radiation shielding.

Does that mean that gas giant refueling doesn't make sense? That ships that are capable of gas giant refueling should have enough radiation shielding to shrug off radiation hits? That the optional shielding should be much more protective, and required for gas giant refueling? That combat radiation should be in the millions of rads to get through even ordinary shielding that stops gas giant radiation? Something else?

Or does this fall into hand-wave territory?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

It falls into Traveller future history based on '60s sci-fi.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Traveller maneuver drives generate a protective field that mitigates the radiation from gas giants and the like - this is to be found in the CT boxed adventure Beltstrike. I can dig out the exact quote in a bit.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Handling of radiation is extremely simplified, as it must be in a game.

Different types of radiation require different types of shielding. The effect of short bursts of intense radiation is not the same as constant (lower intensity) background radiation.

Call it a handwave if you want, but gas giant refuelling is possible in Traveller.

 

[Linwood]

You could home-rule that gas giant refueling does enough radiation damage to be risky without radiation shielding. I think the CRB has some suggested radiation levels for solar flares and the like that might be a good starting point.