A study co-authored by Triangle CERSI Co-PI Ehsan Samei, PhD, and featured on the cover of Science Advances provides the first spaceflight evaluation of wearable radiation protection designed for future human deep-space missions.
Researchers tested the AstroRad vest during NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission. Two anatomically realistic female phantoms equipped with radiation detectors traveled aboard the Orion spacecraft. One phantom, Zohar, wore the protective vest, while the other, Helga, served as an unshielded comparison.
Because Artemis I did not encounter a major solar particle event, the researchers used radiation measurements collected as Orion passed through the inner Van Allen belt to estimate the vest’s performance during two historically severe solar storms. The analysis predicted that AstroRad could reduce an astronaut’s effective radiation dose by approximately 60% during an August 1972–like event and nearly 40% during an October 1989–like event. These reductions would be equivalent to avoiding as much as 193 and 131 days of deep-space radiation exposure, respectively.
The findings suggest that targeted wearable shielding could become an important tool for protecting astronauts during extended missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The study also demonstrates the value of new approach methodologies. By reproducing female anatomy and measuring radiation exposure across specific organs, the human phantoms allowed researchers to evaluate the protective technology under actual spaceflight conditions without exposing people to risk. This human-relevant approach illustrates how sophisticated computational modeling can help answer complex safety questions in environments where traditional studies are not possible.
Link to article: https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adz1892
NIH Innovates LinkedIn Post: https://lnkd.in/p/eeQX26gc
Duke University Center For Virtual Imaging Trials: https://cvit.duke.edu/
