NASA calls off key radiation shielding demo on Artemis II flight

Radiation in outer space is up to 100 times more powerful than radiation reaching Earth. That means detecting and limiting radiation from deep space and the Sun reaching astronauts on the way to the Moon is a top concern of NASA.

 Artemis II astronauts had planned a demonstration on Wednesday to protect themselves from high radiation from possible solar flares that involved using Orion’s supplies and equipment to build a shelter for cover if needed.  However, NASA announced Wednesday afternoon that the demonstration would not be held in order to prepare the cabin for entry on Friday.   “To prepare the cabin for entry, the teams opted to forego the originally planned shielding deployment demonstration,” NASA said.

Officials did not immediately offer further explanation of the cancellation, although the space agency had earlier described the radiation shielding demonstration as a major objective of the mission.  Before the mission launch, NASA emphasized, “Radiation will be an ongoing concern as humans venture into deep space, and multiple experiments will be aimed at collecting data on the radiation levels inside Orion.”

Last September, NASA wrote that Orion in the Artemis II mission uses six active sensors called Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessors deployed inside the crew module.   Fierce reported that six specialized radiation-sensing chips used in HERA were supplied by ADVACAM, based in Prague, Czech Republic.

Also, each crew member wears a dosimeter similar to those used in the manikin and body phantoms on Artemis I. The dosimeters and HERA sensors are designed to provide warnings of hazardous radiation levels caused by space weather events created by the Sun. The sensor data could be used by mission control to decide if the crew should build a radiation protection shelter. 

In addition, NASA partnered with the German Space Agency for an updated model of a M-42 sensor called the M-42 EXT, with six times the resolution to distinguish between different types of radiation, including heavy ions thought to be “particularly hazardous for radiation risk.”  Artemis II has four of the monitors inside the cabin. 

NASA also relies on Sun weather forecasts to predict solar flares, which can knock out communications with x-rays and particles.  NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will protect astronauts by monitoring the Sun around the clock to translate space weather into real-time decisions. 

In a March report, NASA explained the radiation shielding procedure as one of reconfiguring the cabin and removing stowed equipment from storage bays and securing it along areas of the cabin to add mass between themselves and incoming particles. “Testing this procedure in the Orion spacecraft is a major objective of the mission,” the report said. 

Scientific American  and other reports have indicated the crew in a real emergency is expected to create the shelter in one hour and may need to remain inside for up to 24 hours.  The spacecraft was also expected to be tested in the practice session to ensure it could effectively regulate temperature and scrub the air while all four astronauts are huddled in the confined shelter space.