Habitat Design Considerations for Implementing Solar Particle Event Radiation Protection

Abstract

Radiation protection is an important habitat design consideration for human exploration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. Fortunately, radiation shelter concepts can effectively reduce astronaut exposure for the relatively low proton energies of solar particle events, enabling moderate duration missions of several months before astronaut exposure (galactic cosmic ray and solar particle event) approaches radiation exposure limits. In order to minimize habitat mass for increasingly challenging missions, design of radiation shelters must minimize dedicated, single-purpose shielding mass by leveraging the design and placement of habitat subsystems, accommodations, and consumables. NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems RadWorks Storm Shelter Team has recently designed and performed radiation analysis on several low dedicated mass shelter concepts for a year-long mission. This paper describes habitat design considerations identified during the radiation analysis phase of the study. These considerations include placement of the shelter within a habitat for improved protection, integration of human factors guidance for sizing shelters, identification of potential opportunities for habitat subsystems to compromise on individual subsystem performances for overall vehicle mass reductions, and pre-configuration of shelter components for reduced deployment times. Nomenclature AcronymsAES = Advanced Exploration Systems BEO = Beyond Earth Orbit BNNT = Boron Nitride Nanotubes CAD = Computer-Aided Design CTB = Cargo Transfer Bag DSH = Deep Space Habitat GCR = Galactic Cosmic Rays HAT = Human Spaceflight Architecture Team HDU = Habitat Demonstration Unit HMC = Heat Melt Compactor HZETRN = High charge (Z) and Energy TRaNsport code ISS = International Space Station LEO = Low Earth Orbit OLTARIS = On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space SPE = Solar Particle Event

Structural Micrometeoroid and Radiation Shielding for Interplanetary Spacecraft

“…ISO Standard Shipping Container DimensionsAfter further research, the concept was proposed by NASA's Advanced Explorations Systems RadWorks Storm Shelter Team that it was possible to reduce the effects of SPE with temporary shielding 20. This extra mass could be cannibalized from other sources and then returned after the solar event ends.…”