Space Shields: The Inhibition of Radiation via Passive Shielding

Prolonged exposure to solar and galactic cosmic radiation pose some of the greatest health risks to astronauts in space. Currently, no clear-cut solutions exist to adequately protect astronauts from such ionizing radiation during space travel. Therefore, developments in technologies targeted at protecting astronauts on missions are urgently needed, especially in considering a future trip to Mars. There are two main types of radiation shielding approaches: passive and active shielding. Passive shielding requires a material physically located between a person and a given source of radiation. Active shielding takes advantage of electromagnetism to create the radiation shield. Both forms aim to deflect radiation, creating a safer habitat for humans. The team focused on exploring non-toxic and lightweight passive shielding materials, barium vinyl and borated polyethylene, that were additionally cost-effective, in the pursuit of designing more robust shielding technologies. In order to test the effectiveness of the two materials as shields, air and brass were used as controls. The team had a unique opportunity, as the winners of Higher Orbits Go For Launch! Program, to have the experiment conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) and collect four months of data. The experiment was launched on August 14, 2017 on the SpaceX CRS-12 mission. Geiger counters were used to measure the passage of radioactive particles from each of the four conditions and the team was granted remote access to the real-time data and readings. Based on the data, the team concluded that borated polyethylene was the lightweight, most effective passive shield in mitigating radiation of the four conditions. While the Geiger counter paired with the brass condition gathered the overall lowest radiation count, its relatively higher weight would not make it feasible for space travel. The team acknowledges the unparalleled support from Michelle Lucas of Higher Orbits and the engineering and design team at Space Tango.