Development of a Stuffed Whipple Shield for Radiation Protection of Lunar Structures
摘要
Building permanent structures on the Moon is a challenge due to the extreme lunar environment. Lunar radiation is a significant threat to human health because of the Moon’s lack of atmosphere and magnetic field. This means the Moon is exposed to galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and occasional solar particle events (SPE). The stuffed Whipple shield (SWS), which is currently used to protect the International Space Station (ISS) from micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD), has the potential for use in lunar protection. However, more research is necessary to understand its effectiveness against radiation. The research presented in this paper evaluated the effectiveness of SWS as a radiation shield for lunar structures through numerical investigation. A widely used Nextel-Kevlar SWS, consisting of a 2 mm thick aluminum bumper, six Nextel and seven Kevlar layers and a 2.5mm thick aluminum rear wall, was selected as a baseline configuration for the study. Polyethylene foam was also used as an infill material. NASA’s OLTARIS program was utilized as the radiation simulation tool. The simulation results revealed that the radiation dose behind the baseline shield is 60 mSv over a 30-day mission, considerably lower than the dose equivalent limit of 250 mSv for blood-forming organs (BFO). This indicates that SWS can be used as a radiation shield. However, in accordance with NASA’s principle of as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), the study also evaluated the radiation performance of several infill foam materials, such as aluminum, polyurethane, and ethyl vinyl acetate. Among these materials, aluminum foam performed better due to its higher density. Thus, besides impact protection, SWS has the potential to be employed as a lunar radiation shield.