Space scientists from the University of New Hampshire (UNH)
and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) report that data gathered by NASA’s
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show lighter materials like plastics provide
effective shielding against the radiation hazards faced by astronauts during
extended space travel. The finding could help reduce health risks to humans on
future missions into deep space.
Aluminum has always been the primary material in spacecraft
construction, but it provides relatively little protection against high-energy
cosmic rays and can add so much mass to spacecraft that they become
cost-prohibitive to launch.