tech
We've flown a radiation-blocking vest to the Moon and back, and it worked
Let’s shield the astronauts instead of the spacecraft.
TL;DR
- Solar storms pose significant radiation risks to astronauts outside Earth's protective atmosphere.
- StemRad developed the AstroRad vest, a wearable radiation shield, to protect astronauts instead of the spacecraft.
- The AstroRad vest was tested on NASA's Artemis I mission using tissue-equivalent phantoms, Helga and Zohar.
- The vest uses high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rods to shield sensitive tissues, reducing effective radiation dose by approximately 60% against a 1972-style solar storm.
- The vest's effectiveness is comparable to a spacecraft's storm shelter but allows astronauts to remain mobile.
- The vest does not provide significant protection against galactic cosmic rays (GCR).
- Current focus is on reducing the vest's weight from its initial 26 kilograms to 16 kilograms, achieved without significant loss of protection.