NASA Will Test Radiation Vests In An Upcoming Artemis 1 Trial

After a pause of several decades, NASA has been hard at work on the Artemis Initiative, which involves the task of sending crewed spacecraft to the moon.

To accelerate the rate of success of the project and improve the safety of the crew members NASA partnered with the Israel Space Agency and the German Space Center for an experiment that seeks to test the efficiency of the AstroRad radiation vest on Artemis 1, the initial test flight for the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

Known as the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (or MARE), the experiment will convey essential information related to radiation levels in the course of missions to the moon while also verifying the new vest. It is thought that the success of the Artemis mission will play an essential role in future missions related to the exploration of Mars.

An upcoming Artemis 1 trial will test the resistance of radiation vests

Our planet is shielded by a magnetic field and the atmosphere, which block most of the harmful cosmic radiation that could reach the surface. However, astronauts will be exposed to the full spectrum of radiation when they leave Earth. This is why the Artemis 1 mission will involve the use of two identical mannequins fitted with radiation detectors.

The pair will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft over a distance of 280,000 miles from Earth, allowing researchers to study the efficiency of the vests. Materials that mimic human bones, soft tissues, and the organs were used during the manufacturing process of the mannequins. One of them will wear the vest while the other will not, serving as a comparison.

Both are fitted with extensive sensors that allow researchers to map the way in which the radiation could spread across the body. The Orion spacecraft will also carry a variety of sensors that can be used to trace the amount of radiation present aboard.