NASA wants shields for spacecraft


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They want electrostatic shields against cosmic and solar ionic radiation, and it sounds like expandable habs will play a big part in the work - a wide-armed open invitation for Bigelow Aerospace to get involved.

Makes sense since Bigelow habs have the best passive shielding going, and combined with an active electrostatic shield it would be the best of both worlds & a major advanced towards manned deep space flight.

NASA solicitation....

NASA Teaming Opportunity to Develop and Validate Active Electrostatic Shielding for Human Space Missions

Synopsis - Mar 17, 2011

General Information

Solicitation Number: N/A

Reference Number: SS-RADSHIELD

Posted Date: Mar 17, 2011

FedBizOpps Posted Date: Mar 17, 2011

Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No

Original Response Date: Mar 31, 2011

Current Response Date: Mar 31, 2011

Classification Code: A -- Research and Development

NAICS Code: 541712 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

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>bureaucratic flotsom....

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Current conventional radiation protection strategy based on materials shielding alone, referred to as passive radiation shielding, is maturing (has been worked on for about three decades) and any progress using the materials radiation shielding would only be evolutionary (incremental) at best. The overall situation is further augmented by the nonexistence of in vivo or in vitro data or studies about continuous long duration tissues exposure to a radiation and concomitant biological uncertainties. Material shielding would have only limited or no potential for avoiding continuous exposure to radiation. In addition, current material shielding alone for radiation protection for long duration/deep space safe human space missions is prohibitive due to pay load and cost penalties and is not a viable option. Out-of-the-box revolutionary technologies, while taking full advantage of advances in the state-of-the-art evolutionary material shielding are sought. Active radiation shielding has a tremendous benefit of stopping and diverting space radiation from the spacecraft.

Primary candidates for active shielding include but are not limited to: confined and unconfined magnetic fields requiring super-conducting magnets, plasma shields, and electrostatic shields. Recently, a journal publication (Adv. Space Res. 42 (2008) 1043) made a critical analysis and demonstrated why previous approaches of using electrostatic and magnetic radiation shielding were not feasible. Further it clearly established the feasibility proof-of-concept of electrostatic active shielding using the novel approach of quadruple configuration. The biggest advantage of active electrostatic radiation shielding is that by preventing ions from hitting the spacecraft, the unknown harmful biological effects of continuous long duration exposure to space radiation is significantly reduced (~ 70 %) for galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and for solar particle events (SPE), of great concern for radiation exposure, it is practically eliminated. It is believed that the best strategy for radiation protection and shielding for long duration human missions is to use electrostatic active radiation shielding while, in concert, taking the full advantage of the state-of-the-art evolutionary passive (material) shielding technologies for the much reduced and weaken radiation that may escape and hit the spacecraft.

In particular, NASA LaRC is seeking potential partners having demonstrated experience and expertise in; 1) modeling and simulation (physics and electricity and magnetism background is desired), 2) assessments of radiation exposure dose, 3) fabrication of expandable structures for space needs, and 4) working with charged ions and electrons accelerators. NASAs intended applications include but are not limited to radiation protection and shielding, radiation dose exposures, sensors, medical applications. Potential partners are requested to indicate which specific opportunity they are interested in partnering with NASA LaRC, the NIAC NRA or the Unique and Innovative Space Technology BAA Teaming with providers of and leveraging emerging technologies, such as current and recent Small Business Innovative Research awards (http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.fov/SBIR/awards.htm ), is of special interest.

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Raise shields, target those engines :D

This could be interesting, if they make it work and evolve it we could possibly actually start to see something that could deflect space debris maybe? Which has obvious benefits and safety enhancements for astronauts.

I shall check back in a few years

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Raise shields, target those engines :D

This could be interesting, if they make it work and evolve it we could possibly actually start to see something that could deflect space debris maybe? Which has obvious benefits and safety enhancements for astronauts.

I shall check back in a few years

I think the shields are the types that deflect cosmic radiation and such, without shields such as those, any manned trip to say, Mars, the Astronauts DNA would be torn to tatters.

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Sounds a bit more like the deflector array than a shield.

We have watched Star Trek so that makes us experts. I like it :D Next you'll be telling us to "reverse the tachyon beam" to increase shield blah blah :rofl:

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We have watched Star Trek so that makes us experts. I like it :D Next you'll be telling us to "reverse the tachyon beam" to increase shield blah blah :rofl:

Lol. Ahead warp factor 1, #1.

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Work on artificial magnetospheres using magnetic fields and plasma has been going on for several years, but recent developments showed that electrostatic shields could be better - so this was put out. Either way, they would help setting up a fuel depot/space dock at EML-1, which is our logical next step. From there you can go anywhere with a minimal energy outlay (less fuel,)

In terms of shielding from weapons; possible if the weapon uses charged particle beams - they'd be deflected just as would plasmas, ions, protons etc. in the solar wind.

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Work on artificial magnetospheres using magnetic fields and plasma has been going on for several years, but recent developments showed that electrostatic shields could be better - so this was put out. Either way, they would help setting up a fuel depot/space dock at EML-1, which is our logical next step. From there you can go anywhere with a minimal energy outlay (less fuel,)

In terms of shielding from weapons; possible if the weapon uses charged particle beams - they'd be deflected just as would plasmas, ions, protons etc. in the solar wind.

The overall problem with these existing shields is energy usage. Keeping an artificial magnetosphere going around an entire spaceship is currently not doable due to energy requirements. Some random TV show that detailed the problems of a trip to Mars and this was one of them. They went as far to say even with major advances, it would just result in only a small portion of the ship having the shield and astronauts would have to stay confined to it for the majority of the trip.

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One of the advantages of electrostatic is that it requires less power than magnetic. Also; if you already have a megawatt class reactor for VASIMR, which would need 12 MWe for a manned Mars mission, then adding a megawatt or dedicated solar panels for shields is no biggie - especially given recent advances in space solar arrays that could well halve their size..

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One of the advantages of electrostatic is that it requires less power than magnetic. Also; if you already have a megawatt class reactor for VASIMR, which would need 12 MWe for a manned Mars mission, then adding a megawatt or dedicated solar panels for shields is no biggie - especially given recent advances in space solar arrays that could well halve their size..

While that true, you will still run into the size issue. The more solar solar arrays you need, the larger your surface area and the higher the risk of a random dust particle causing damage. The goal is to decrease size AND weight. The more components you add to the craft, the more arrays you need. If some major advances are made with protecting the craft from high velocity dust particles though, it would become a non issue.

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