Radiation Shields for Space Workers

GSI

In GSI’s linear accelerator, charged atoms can be accelerated up to 20% of the speed of light. This technology enables researchers to simulate collisions with space-based particles.

Cosmic radiation—charged particles that emanate throughout deep space—is a deadly obstacle to future human expeditions to Mars, the asteroids, or other locations beyond Earth. Now, the European Space Agency is partnering with a German particle-accelerator laboratory to develop “radiation shields” that might protect spacecrafts’ crews from exposure.

Researchers at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, are running various materials through simulated collisions with space-based particles to see which materials withstand impact. They report that shields made of water, polyethylene, and hydrogen-rich materials patented by the British company Cella Energy all show promise.

Source: European Space Agency, www.esa.int.