NASA在2022年Artemis I任务中测试的一款辐射防护服可将宇航员在太阳风暴中的辐射暴露大幅降低。[1]这种名为AstroRad的防护服由美以初创公司StemRad与洛克希德·马丁联合开发，重57磅（26公斤），覆盖肺、胃、骨髓、乳房和卵巢等易受损器官。[1]
根据StemRad研究负责人Jordan Houri领导的最新研究，该防护服在不同级别太阳风暴中的防护效果显著。[1]在模拟1972年级别太阳风暴的条件下，防护服可将宇航员的辐射暴露减少约60%；在1989年级别太阳风暴中，防护效果为减少约40%的暴露。[1]这项研究已发表在《Science Advances》期刊上。[1]
虽然Artemis II因其十天的短期任务特性而未携带该防护服，但这套防护方案为NASA未来的月球基地任务和火星探险提供了关键的辐射防护解决方案。[1]
A specialized radiation protection vest tested aboard NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022 could substantially reduce astronauts' exposure to radiation during solar storms, according to new research findings [1]. The protective garment, developed jointly by Israeli startup StemRad and Lockheed Martin, was worn by a female test mannequin named Zohar during the uncrewed lunar mission [1].
The study, led by Jordan Houri of StemRad and published in Science Advances, demonstrates that the vest can decrease radiation exposure by approximately 60 percent during a solar storm of the magnitude experienced in 1972, or by roughly 40 percent during a 1989-level solar event [1]. These reductions are equivalent to protecting astronauts from 193 days and 131 days of deep-space radiation exposure respectively [1]. Weighing 57 pounds, the protective garment covers vital organs including the lungs, stomach, bone marrow, breast, and ovaries [1].
While NASA's upcoming Artemis II mission, scheduled as a brief 10-day flight, will not carry the radiation vest, the technology may be incorporated into future lunar missions and Mars exploration efforts [1].