Testing a radiation-protective polymer composite on the ISS

• Published in: Advances in space research Vol. 74; no. 10; pp. 5172 - 5178
• Main Authors: Cherkashina, N.I., Pavlenko, V.I., Shkaplerov, A.N., Popova, E.V., Umnova, L.A., Ivanova, O.A., Kartashov, D.A., Shurshakov, V.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.11.2024
• Subjects: Detectors; ISS; Scientific equipment; Shielding composite; Space radiation; ISS; Shielding composite; Space radiation; Detectors; Scientific equipment
• ISSN: 0273-1177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2024.07.029

•Radiation protection experiment conducted on the ISS.•A new polymer composite for protection against cosmic radiation has been developed.•2 containers were made from a new material and sent into space.•The attenuation coefficients of the new composite were studied.•Studied the change in the properties of the composite after testing in space. The article presents the results of polymer composite testing on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) during 225 days. For the space experiment “Shielding Composite” two cylinder-shaped composite containers were manufactured. Inside the containers there were detectors for dose registration during the orbital space flight. Presents the results of research on the first container, which was lowered to Earth in 2022. As a result of the space experiment “Shielding Composite”, it was found that the attenuation ratio of the absorbed dose of space ionizing radiation (Inner sensor value/Outdoor sensor value) with a shield wall thickness of 10 mm was 0.71 ± 0.02 for container No. 1. There is no induced radiation in the container after its descent to Earth.