NASA Tests Radiation Vest for Deep Space Missions

March 4, 2020

Photo of AstroRad taken by the ISS crew in January 2020 in advance of the study. (Credit: NASA)

As NASA leads the way for human exploration at the Moon and beyond, space radiation is one of the biggest hazards crews face. NASA is testing the AstroRad radiation protection vest on Artemis I, the first flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Artemis I will carry two identical mannequin torsos equipped with radiation detectors. They will fly aboard Orion, traveling about 280,000 miles from Earth and thousands of miles beyond the Moon.

Scientists will be able to determine how well the vest might protect crew from solar radiation, while also collecting data on how much radiation astronauts might experience inside Orion on a lunar mission – conditions that cannot be recreated on Earth.

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