Key facts
- StemRad's AstroRad radiation-blocking vest was tested on NASA's Artemis I mission.
- The vest aims to shield astronauts directly, rather than relying solely on spacecraft shielding.
- Simulations indicate the vest can reduce radiation dose by 40-60% during solar storms.
- The vest's design focuses on shielding sensitive tissues like bone marrow.
- The vest utilizes hexagonal rods of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for flexibility and protection.
A radiation-blocking vest developed by Israeli-American startup StemRad has successfully completed a lunar journey aboard NASA's uncrewed Artemis I mission. The vest, named AstroRad, is designed to protect astronauts from intense solar radiation, a significant challenge for deep-space missions where Earth's protective atmosphere is absent.
StemRad's approach focuses on personal shielding rather than solely relying on heavy spacecraft structures. The vest targets sensitive tissues like bone marrow, which are crucial for blood cell regeneration and survival after high radiation exposure. Engineers utilized high-density polyethylene (HDPE) formed into flexible hexagonal rods to create a garment that offers substantial protection without severely hindering astronaut mobility.
During the Artemis I mission, two torso-like phantoms, Helga and Zohar, were used to test the vest. Zohar wore the AstroRad vest, while Helga served as a control. Thousands of dosimeters tracked radiation exposure, particularly during the passage through the Van Allen radiation belts. Although no solar storm occurred during the mission, the data collected, combined with Monte Carlo simulations, allowed researchers to estimate the vest's effectiveness.
These simulations suggest that the AstroRad vest could reduce an astronaut's effective radiation dose by approximately 40% to 60% during a significant solar event, comparable to the protection offered by the Orion spacecraft's onboard shelter. This level of protection could potentially extend an astronaut's career by adding months to their permissible lifetime radiation exposure. The vest's design allows astronauts to continue performing mission operations, unlike the restrictive nature of a dedicated shelter.