28–30 Nov 2018
US/Central timezone

NASA Shields-1: A Radiation Shielding Experiment developed with Radiation Modeling

29 Nov 2018, 14:50
25m

Speaker

Dr Laurence Thomsen (NASA LaRC)

Description

NASA Shields-1 will be launched in the upcoming NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) ELaNaXIX Mission in December 2018. Shields-1 hosts a research payload experiment with 8 μdosimeters behind radiation shielding in slab geometries to make dose-depth curves. Shields-1 hosts atomic number (Z)-graded radiation shielding materials as part of the research payload with baseline aluminum materials for the comparison of dose-depth curves. This radiation shielding experiment has been prepared from radiation shielding computational modeling of a geotransfer orbit (GTO) with slab geometries using GEANT4 MUlti-LAyered Shielding SImulation Software (MULASSIS) from The Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS). Z-graded radiation shielding materials show a ~30% increased shielding effectiveness for electrons at half the thickness in comparison to aluminum of the same areal density The Shields-1 electronics enclosure (vault) has been developed using the LaRC Z-Shielding materials for reducing total ionizing dose on the electronic cards in order to increase the mission lifetime of the commercial parts.

Presentation materials