The University of Colorado Boulder has announced a discovery 7,200 miles above Earth of a protective shield similar to the force fields you might see in `` Star Trek . '' The discovery of this barrier in the Van Allen radiation belts suggests a new explanation for how `` killer electrons '' are held at bay . This invisible shield , which was found at the inner edge of the outer Van Allen belt , protects against high-energy electrons , which have the potential to fry satellites , threaten astronauts and degrade space systems during intense solar storms . `` It 's almost like these electrons are running into a glass wall in space , '' said Daniel Baker , director of CU-Boulder 's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space . `` Somewhat like the shields created by force fields on 'Star Trek ' that were used to repel alien weapons , we are seeing an invisible shield blocking these electrons . It 's an extremely puzzling phenomenon . '' The phenomenon challenges existing theories that these electrons drift into the upper atmosphere and are destroyed by air molecules . `` It 's like looking at the phenomenon with new eyes , with a new set of instrumentation , which give us the detail to say , 'Yes , there is this hard , fast boundary , ' `` said John Foster , associate director of MIT 's Haystack Observatory and a study co-author . Does this have any potential for scientific innovation into force fields on Earth ? Only time will tell , of course .
An invisible shield has been discovered 7,200 miles above Earth . The shield blocks what are known as `` killer electrons '' Discovery challenges existing theories of how killer electrons are held at bay .