‘AstroRad’ vest offers astronauts lighter shield against solar storms
The AstroRad vest, developed by StemRad and Lockheed Martin, is designed to protect astronauts from solar radiation during deep-space missions. By using hydrogen-rich polymers, the vest shields vital organs while remaining lightweight enough for space travel.
Why it matters
Radiation protection is a critical hurdle for long-term human space exploration, particularly for missions to the Moon and Mars.
Despite their best efforts to settle the moon and later Mars, humans may never become a spacefaring species, more than a few experts have said over the years. An important reason for this view is radiation. The earth has a magnetic field that keeps harmful radiation at bay, but astronauts who fly beyond this field are at risk of developing cancer and other serious health problems.
A common fix for this problem has been to add more shielding for astronauts. However, every additional kilogram increases the launch cost by a large amount, and it is often also impractical to add enough shielding to a crew capsule to cope with a major outburst of radiation from the sun.
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