The development of a multifunctional composite material for use in human space exploration beyond low-earth orbit

Sen, S.; Schofield, E.; O'Dell, J. Scott; Deka, L. J.; Pillay, Selvum

doi:10.1007/s11837-009-0019-5

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Of all the possible interactions, the two most important mechanisms from a radiation-shielding point-of-view are: (i) energy loss (due to radiation, ionization, or excitation of the target material) and (ii) nuclear fragmentation of projectile ions, target material or both. 5,8 2.2.1. Energy Loss.…”

Section: Radiation and Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Breaking up the heavy ions present in the cosmic rays into smaller fragments (with lower ionizing power) while minimizing target fragmentation is the only practical solution for developing effective shielding materials. 5 Neutrons are uncharged particles that do not interact with electrons but with the atomic nuclei of the target material. They lose energy through nuclear interaction resulting in liberation of secondary charged particles, fragmentation of target nucleus or retention of the incident neutron by the atomic nucleus of the target atoms.…”

Section: Nuclear Fragmentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When high-energy, high-Z particles (HZE particles) traverse a medium (or target), e.g., body of a spacecraft or a tissue, they lose their energy through a number of interactions with the incident material. Of all the possible interactions, the two most important mechanisms from a radiation-shielding point-of-view are: (i) energy loss (due to radiation, ionization, or excitation of the target material) and (ii) nuclear fragmentation of projectile ions, target material or both. , …”

Section: Radiation and Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Polymer-Composite Materials for Radiation Protection

Nambiar

Yeow

2012

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

452

219

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unwanted exposures to high-energy or ionizing radiation can be hazardous to health. Prolonged or accumulated radiation dosage from either particle-emissions such as alpha/beta, proton, electron, neutron emissions, or high-energy electromagnetic waves such as X-rays/γ rays, may result in carcinogenesis, cell mutations, organ failure, etc. To avoid occupational hazards from these kinds of exposures, researchers have traditionally used heavy metals or their composites to attenuate the radiation. However, protective gear made of heavy metals are not only cumbersome but also are capable of producing more penetrative secondary radiations which requires additional shielding, increasing the cost and the weight factor. Consequently, significant research efforts have been focused toward designing efficient, lightweight, cost-effective, and flexible shielding materials for protection against radiation encountered in various industries (aerospace, hospitals, and nuclear reactors). In this regard, polymer composites have become attractive candidates for developing materials that can be designed to effectively attenuate photon or particle radiation. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art of polymer composites reinforced with micro/nanomaterials, for their use as radiation shields.

show abstract

Section: Radiation and Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nuclear Fragmentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Radiation and Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Polymer-Composite Materials for Radiation Protection

Nambiar

Yeow

2012

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

452

219

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is envisioned that advanced composite materials used for crew habitation areas will be "dual-mode," and provide radiation protection shielding as well as structural integrity. 15 The descent section (DS) is common to the LM2 and LM3, with the same four landing legs and a basic structural design that utilizes a central thrust cylinder to efficiently carry loads. Minor structural differences exist to account for changes in cargo loading and habitat accommodations.…”

Section: Lm2 and Lm3 Common Design Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crew and Cargo Landers for Human Exploration of Mars-Vehicle System Design

Benton

2008

5th AIAA Theoretical Fluid Mechanics Conference

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper describes Mars lander design concepts that were first presented as part of the Spaceship Discovery independent research project. This conceptual space vehicle architecture for human solar system exploration was presented in 2006. The Spaceship Discovery architecture includes two types of Mars exploration landers: A piloted crew lander, designated Lander Module 2 (LM2), and an autonomous cargo lander, designated Lander Module 3 (LM3). The LM2 and LM3 designs were first presented at the AIAA Space 2007 conference. The LM2 and LM3 concepts have recently been extensively redesigned. The objective of this paper is to present these revised designs. The LM2 and LM3 landers are based on a common design that can be configured to carry either crew or cargo. They utilize a combination of aerodynamic reentry, parachutes, and propulsive braking to decelerate from orbital velocity to a soft landing. The LM2 crew lander provides two-way transportation for a nominal three-person crew between Mars orbit and the surface, and provides life support for a 24-day contingency mission. It contains an ascent section to return the crew to orbit after completion of surface operations. The LM3 cargo lander provides one-way, autonomous transportation of cargo from Mars orbit to the surface and can be configured to carry a mix of consumables and equipment, or equipment only. Lander service life and endurance is based on the Spaceship Discovery conjunction-class Design Reference Mission 2. The LM3 is designed to extend the surface stay for three crew members in an LM2 crew lander such that two sets of crew and cargo landers enable human exploration of the surface for the bulk of the 454 day wait time at Mars, in two shifts of three crew members each. Design requirements, mission profiles, mass properties, performance data, and configuration layouts are presented for the LM2 crew and LM3 cargo landers. These lander designs are a proposed solution to the problem of safely transporting a human crew from Mars orbit to the surface, sustaining them for extended periods of time on the surface, and returning them safely to orbit. They are based on reliable and proven technology and build on an extensive heritage of successful unmanned probes. Safety, redundancy, and abort and rescue capabilities are stressed in the design and operations concepts. The designs share many common features, hardware, subsystems, and flight control modes to reduce development cost. The LM2 and LM3 Mars landers presented in this paper are an integral part of the Spaceship Discovery architecture but could be used in any other Mars exploration architecture that utilizes a Mars orbit rendezvous methodology.

show abstract

“…A number of attempts to create a composite based on modified UHMWPE fibers have been already made, for example, filament‐wound composite consisting of “cold” plasma‐treated PE fibers and epoxy matrix4 and high strength fabric from UHMWPE Spectra 1000 fibers treated by gas‐plasma prior to the composite lay up, the latter being tested for radiation shielding properties 21. However, there is no technology which can be considered an optimal one from the point of view of adhesion improvement without the change of the ordered fiber structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%