Artemis I Data Confirms Orion Spacecraft Will Shield Astronauts from Radiation on Moon Missions
Mannequins took a journey around the moon, following a path that astronauts may soon traverse. Scientists have now revealed how well they fared.
On board the Orion capsule for Artemis I were two mannequins, Helga and Zohar, designed to simulate human tissue, organs, and bones. These mannequins helped assess radiation levels astronauts might experience on future moon missions. The spacecraft and mannequins were equipped with detectors to track radiation exposure.
Helga (left) and Zohar
As NASA prepares for the Artemis II mission, which could send four astronauts around the moon next year, a new study sheds light on how effectively the Orion spacecraft will protect its crew. This insight comes from data gathered during Artemis I, a 25-day uncrewed mission in late 2022 that followed a similar lunar path.
Recently, scientists published their findings in Nature, showing that Orion’s shielding effectively mitigated radiation. “The Artemis I mission marks a crucial step in advancing our understanding of how space radiation impacts the safety of future crewed missions to the Moon,” said Sergi Vaquer Araujo, a space medicine team leader at the European Space Agency (ESA), although not involved in the study. ESA contributed dosimeters to measure radiation inside the Orion capsule.
Since the 1960s, NASA has studied how space radiation affects human health. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which is partly shielded by Earth’s magnetic field, have long been monitored. However, as future missions venture deeper into space, astronauts will no longer have Earth’s magnetic field for protection and will need to rely on spacecraft shielding.
Astronauts heading to the moon or Mars will face radiation from cosmic rays – high-energy particles that penetrate space. They’ll also have to pass through Earth’s Van Allen Belts, two radiation zones surrounding the planet. For the first time, continuous radiation data was collected during Orion’s journey to the moon and back, something the Apollo missions lacked.
The sensors revealed significant variations in radiation levels depending on location within the spacecraft. Orion’s “storm shelter,” a more shielded area designed to protect astronauts from space weather events, provided four times more protection than less shielded areas. This protection kept radiation exposure at safe levels, preventing acute radiation sickness.
Lead author Stuart George, a NASA scientist, noted that the shelter – used primarily for storing crew supplies – was the most shielded area, as intended. The passage through the Van Allen Belts simulated a potential space weather event, validating the shelter’s design for future solar storms.
As the sun approaches its 11-year solar maximum, expected this year, solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can impact spacecraft and even Earth’s power grids, will become more frequent. The shelter design is crucial for protecting crews from these solar particle events.
Interestingly, cosmic ray exposure during Artemis I was 60% lower than on previous missions, including robotic Mars missions. The researchers also discovered that radiation levels dropped by 50% when Orion performed a flip to ensure the correct trajectory. The maneuver placed more of the spacecraft’s shielding between the radiation and the detectors, offering additional protection.
These findings could help improve the design of future space missions. For Artemis II, which will carry astronauts, the storm shelter has been revised. Instead of relying on a small, confined space, the crew will use supplies tied to the least-shielded wall as a makeshift barrier during solar storms. This adjustment will allow the crew to operate more comfortably while still being shielded.
Artemis II’s powerful rocket has already arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for assembly, with preparations underway for Artemis III, slated for 2026. This mission aims to land two humans at the lunar south pole.
While Artemis II won’t involve a moon landing, the crew will travel 4,600 miles (7,402 kilometers) beyond the far side of the moon, capturing images of lunar features from orbit. NASA’s Kelsey Young emphasized the value of human astronauts providing real-time observations, saying it enhances lunar science. To prepare, the Artemis II crew has been training in lunar-like environments, including Iceland.
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