radiation - a key space exploration challenge

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Welcome to the SR2S Workshop!

Radiation: a key space exploration challenge

P. Messidoro, C. Lobascio

Thales Alenia Space Italia, Torino, Italy

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Our mission:Space Exploration & Science

Image credit: NASA

Il documento non deve essere riprodotto, modificato, adattato, pubblicato, tradotto in qualsiasi forma sostanziale, in tutto o in parte,

né divulgato a terze parti senza il preventivo consenso scritto di Thales Alenia Space - © 2012, Thales Alenia Space

There’s Italy behind the ISS… literally!

Image credit: NASA

There’s Italy behind the ISS… literally!



Italian Contribution

50% habitable volumes designed & integrated in Torino by Thales Alenia Space – Italia

Columbus

Node 2

Node 3

Cupola

PMM

MPLM

ATV - ICC

Permanent Modules

Logistic Modules

Image credit: NASA

CygnusPCM

Our contribution



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Ref.:

Commercial Transportation

Services

ISS

Technology Demonstrators

Post-ISS

Inflatable Habitats

Moon

NEO

Mars

Lunar Pressurized Rovers

ExoMars

MSR

Long Duration Habitat

Cis-lunar Complex

Marco Polo

ISS Test Bed for Exploration

Lunar Landers

MPCV/ ESM

TAS-I Space Exploration Road map



The Space Radiation challenge



Superstorms

Earth barely missed solar superstorm on 23 July 2012 (Ref.:

Nature Comms 5: 3481)

Potentially similar to 1859 Carrington Event

Damage in US estimated at $0.6-2.6 trillion (Ref.: Lloyd’s

Atm. & Env. Res, 2013)



Mars human mission

•Each year 1/3 of DNA damaged by Galactic Cosmic Ray

•Dose ~ 0.8 Sv/y vs 0.05 Sv/y for nuclear plant workers (Friedberg)

Radiation effects



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Ref.:

Countermeasures – the Fantastic Four

1 Passive Shielding

2 Active Shielding

3 Drugs & Diet & genetic

4 Forecast

Also: Reduction of Biological

Risk Uncertainties



Passive shielding: Space Heritage for… larger particles

11

High Resistance Meteoroids & Debris Shields: Columbus



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Ref.:

ΔM = 1 t

Δ$ ~ 50 M$

Columbus

Adding 1 g/cm2 for radiation protection means…

Mass is the currency of space!



Ground Testing in accelerators (ESA – ROSSINI)



Flight Testing on ISS (ALTCRISS, M. Casolino)

POLYETHYLENETILES + dosimeters



Flight Testing on ISS (ALTEA Shield, L. Narici)



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Ref.:

Passive shielding is…

Liquid H2

PolyethyleneWater

Aluminum

Lead

best

worst

RA

NG

E O

F IN

TER

ES

T

Available technology

Effective for Solar Particle Ev.

Hydrogen-rich materials

> effective

BUT

Unable to protect from

Galactic Cosmic Rays

in long deep space missions

Kevlar epoxy



Active Shielding

And now: Shields Up!



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Thanks for your attention!



Need of reliable Space Weather Forecasts

The twin NASA Van Allen Probes orbit in Earth's

inner and outer radiation belts.

Credit: JHU/APL, NASA



Source: NASA NIAC



Cosmic Rays

Solar Particles

Meteoroids & Debris

Vacuum

Residual Atmosphere

Plasma

Space environment…



natural space radiation environment

GCR SPE



1996 2015

overall risk

risk coefficientshigh-LET radiation

risk coefficientslow-LET radiation

radiation transport(calculations)

radiationenvironment(spectra)

50%

400-1500%

Uncertainties in radiation risk

NASA risk uncertainty reduction strategy



PEPS Planetary Environment Protection Solutions

Baffle Trap

Facility Control System

Internal Chamber

Planetary Environment

Simulation Chamber (PESCha)

Dust Removal System Dust Particle Counter

Moon & Mars Soil Simulant

Dust Mitigation TechnologiesSecurity Cabinet

Radiation Sources

Radiation Shielding Technologies



Pressurized Module – structures, passive thermal elements

Micro-meteoroid & Orbital Debris Shielding

Passive Thermal Insulation

Primary Structure Pressurized w/ Hatches

Secondary structures and racks To accommodate equipment and experiments



Mission Control



Cupola… inspiring people on orbit and on Earth



Credit Space.com



Today and future ISS: Commercial Systems



Key impacts of space flight (and aging) on humans

Adaptation

during (and after) flight

• Muscular atrophy • Osteoporosis

• Cardio-vascular

deconditioning• Immune system deficit

Ionizing RadiationModified gravity

• Cataract• Cancer

Acute / Late

Deterministic Stochastic

effects



Orion System Elements

Spacecraft Adapter

structural transition to launch vehicle

Launch Abort System emergency escape during launch

Crew Module crew and cargo transport

European Service Modulepropulsion, electrical power, fluids storage



Gravity 3.72 m/s2

Temperature130K 300K.Nominal 215K

Solar radiation615 W/m2

Thin CO2 atmosphere

(7 hPa)

RadiationAtmosphere shields about 16 g/cm2

Local magnetic field

Terrain composition• SiO2 (44.7%)• Fe2O3 (18.2%) • MgO (8.3%) • Al2O3 (5.7%)• CaO (5.6%)

MARS!



EXOMARS



Objectives: Demonstrate European capability to land

a surface package on Mars Perform Mars Atmosphere investigation Provide communications capability for

present and future missions

EXOMARS 2016



Human MARS Exploration

Tito, who paid about $20 million to visit the International Space Station in 2001, has founded a new nonprofit company called the Inspiration Mars Foundation. The manned mission is intended to “generate new knowledge, experience and momentum for the next great era of space exploration”

Wired, 20 Feb 2013



from 100 m3

to 400- 500 m3

Space Habitats Evolution:

INFLATABLEs



Solar System ExplorationSolar System Exploration



Active Shielding