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.

We've flown a radiation-blocking vest to the Moon and back, and it worked

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.

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