We've flown a radiation-blocking vest to the Moon and back, and it worked
Let's shield the astronauts instead of the spacecraft.
Solar storms pose a significant threat to astronauts venturing to the Moon or Mars, as these intense bursts of protons can raise cancer risks or cause radiation sickness. Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field provide protection from this radiation, but there is no such safeguard for lunar or Martian explorers. The limited shielding capacity of current spacecraft is insufficient to block this harmful radiation.
A team comprising Jordan Houri and Oren Milstein from the Israeli-American startup StemRad has proposed an innovative solution - shielding astronauts themselves rather than their spacecraft. To validate this concept, StemRad's team successfully transported a wearable radiation-shielding vest called AstroRad aboard NASA's uncrewed Artemis I mission to the Moon and back. By analyzing the flight data, the researchers calculated the vest's effectiveness during a potential solar storm.
The findings reveal that AstroRad would provide performance levels comparable to the heavily shielded onboard shelter in NASA's Orion spacecraft, which astronauts were intended to seek refuge in during a solar storm. This breakthrough demonstrates the potential of personal protective equipment in safeguarding astronauts against the hazards of space radiation.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
