Effects of radiobiological uncertainty on vehicle and habitat shield design for missions to the moon and Mars
Some consequences of uncertainties in radiobiological risk due to galactic cosmic ray (GCR) exposure are analyzed for their effect on engineering designs for the first lunar outpost and a mission to explore Mars. This report presents the plausible effect of biological uncertainties, the design changes necessary to reduce the uncertainties to acceptable levels for a safe mission, and an evaluation of the mission redesign cost. Estimates of the amount of shield mass required to compensate for radiobiological uncertainty are given for a simplified vehicle and habitat. The additional amount of shield mass required to provide a safety factor for uncertainty compensation is calculated from the expected response to GCR exposure. The amount of shield mass greatly increases in the estimated range of biological uncertainty, thus, escalating the estimated cost of the mission. The estimates are used as a quantitative example for the cost-effectiveness of research in radiation biophysics and radiation physics.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA (United States). Langley Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 5406247
- Report Number(s):
- N-94-12875; NASA-TP-3312; L-17188; NAS-1.60:3312; CNN: RTOP 199-04-16-11
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
NASA’s first ground-based Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator: Enabling a new era in space radiobiology research
Radiation protection for human missions to the Moon and Mars