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Space Radiation Shielding

Encyclopedia of Bioastronautics

Definition

Both short- and long-term health risks from exposure to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) are potentially limiting factors in the human exploration of deep space. A significant portion of the risk is attributable to the presence of high-energy heavy ions in space, particles that do not exist on the surface of the Earth and which are known to cause biological damage disproportionate to the physical dose they impart. Large uncertainties remain in our knowledge of the biological effects of high-energy heavy ions, particularly at the low dose rates encountered in space (Cucinotta 2015).

In conventional radiation protection, three principles apply: (1) minimize the duration of the exposure; (2) maximize the distance from the source; (3) place shielding between personnel and the source whenever possible. In space, the first two principles cannot be readily applied, and the utility of shielding is severely limited by the high cost of launch and by the...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leidos Innovations Corporation, Houston, TX, USA

    Cary Zeitlin

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  1. Cary Zeitlin
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Correspondence to Cary Zeitlin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Room 37-219, Massachusetts Institute of Technolo Room 37-219, CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA

    Laurence R. Young

  2. Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine Center for Space Medicine, HOUSTON, TX, USA

    Jeffrey P. Sutton

Section Editor information

  1. Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathryn D. Held

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Zeitlin, C. (2019). Space Radiation Shielding. In: Young, L., Sutton, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Bioastronautics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_28-1

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Space Radiation Shielding
    Published:
    18 December 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_28-2

  2. Original

    Space Radiation Shielding
    Published:
    28 February 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_28-1

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