Above: The two radiation resistant Van Allen Belt Probes.
Nearly a year ago NASA launched the twin Van Allen Belt Probes. These hardy spacecraft are on a mission to explore the Van Allen radiation belts, which encircle our planet. Like the badlands in Star Trek, these damaging radiation belts are a hazard to spacecraft - and they change unpredictably when solar storms approach Earth:
The latest results from the probes have revealed that some of the particles in the belts are moving at almost the speed of light. Analysis of data form the probes shows that certain regions in the belts contain intense electromagnetic waves, which draw energy from the belt. Particles that pass by these regions can receive repeated kicks from the waves, hugely increasing their speed - and, as a whole, the belt then acts as a natural particle accelerator.
The NASA press release is here.
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