The American space Agency NASA and the Israel space Agency (ISA) signed an agreement for testing of new anti-radiation vest AstroRad in the first mission to the moon for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), which will be implemented with the new rocket NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS).
AstroRad – this is the second product of the U.S.-Israeli company StemRad after StemRad 360 Gamma is the world’s first wearable shield, which provides significant protection against gamma radiation, according to the portal Space.com.
StemRad company based in tel Aviv and works with one of the main contractors of NASA, Lockheed Martin engaged in the development of manned spacecraft Orion. It is planned to send to the moon on a rocket SLS in the framework of a three-week mission in late 2019 – early 2020.
Big threat to space missions for deep space exploration is cosmic radiation. To solve this problem in the future will help the vest AstroRad, I think its developers. In the framework of a test mission, EM-1 aboard the space ship Orion will be two mannequins (created by the German centre of aviation and Astronautics), each of which will be connected a thousand different radiation sensors and sensors. One of the mannequins is scheduled to vest in vest AstroRad, the second will be without him.
Although the Orion capsule within the framework of a relatively short mission, EM-1 on the way to the moon are unlikely to encounter powerful solar wind, the device will pass through the radiation belt van Allen zone of energy-charged particles that are formed under the influence of the solar wind. According to the developers of the vest, it will be a great test for their new product.
If the tests are successful, then AstroRad can begin to use within the framework of manned missions into deep space. In addition, in 2018 it is planned to test the vest on Board the International space station. In the framework of this mission, the developers want to test its ergonomics in microgravity.
New anti-radiation vest check in the first mission to the moon
Nikolai Khizhnyak