“Killer electrons” that travel at nearly light speed inside Earth’s Van Allen belts—the zone that surrounds the planet and traps energetic charged particles—pose a major threat to equipment in space by causing malfunctions in electronics. “Killer electrons” that travel at nearly light speed inside Earth’s Van Allen belts—the zone that surrounds the planet and traps energetic charged particles—pose a major threat to equipment in space by causing malfunctions in electronics. Planetary Sciences Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories