DEFINITION:

The radiation area is focused on developing technologies to increase crew mission duration (100 to 1,000 days, depending on the mission) in the free-space radiation environment while remaining below the space radiation permissible exposure limits (PELs). It is generally accepted that to meet the sub-goal of extending crew mission duration, an integrated, optimized approach utilizing shielding options, biological countermeasures, improved understanding of the risks, and the ability to better predict and monitor the radiation environment will be required.

Note: It is related with ESA’s TD 14-C and TD 14-D

(Source: NASA TA6.5)

SUBDOMAINS:

1. Risk Assessment Modeling: The focus of this area is to develop tools that enable, quantify, and reduce uncertainty in assessing astronaut risk due to space radiation exposure, as well as to improve mission operations, mission planning, and system design for LEO, deep-space, lunar, and Mars missions.
2. Radiation Mitigation and Biological Countermeasures (BCM): The focus of this area is to develop BCMs that can minimize or prevent physical, cognitive, and behavioral disorders due to space radiation without adverse side effects and loss of life.
3. Protection Systems: The focus of this area is to advance the design of integrated radiation protection shielding technologies that extend the duration of missions beyond LEO by more than 60 days, within the scope of reasonable vehicle design and mass. The focus is to provide passive or active shielding through design advances, advanced materials, lightweight structures, and in-situ resources.
4. Space Weather Prediction: The focus of this area is to advance improvements in solar particle event (SPE) forecasting and alert systems to minimize operational constraints for missions outside the protection of the Earth’s geo-magnetic field. Note: it is related with 1-K-10.
5. Monitoring Technology: The focus of this area is to prototype and mature advanced, miniaturized radiation measurement technologies, and to demonstrate these technologies as integrated vehicle systems using available platforms.