RadWorks Project

The overarching objective of the RadWorks project is to mature and demonstrate affordable, enabling solutions that mitigate radiation-related challenges of human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

RadWorks technology is categorized as both a hardware system for other applications as well as modeling technology to support human space flight. Since its inception in FY12, the RadWorks project has had as its overarching objective to mature and demonstrate affordable, enabling solutions to mitigate the radiation-related challenges of human space exploration. This has been done through the maturation and demonstration of system-level monitoring and design solutions. The project has continued to develop and deliver affordable, prototype and flight caliber element-integrated monitoring and alert/warning subsystems capable of enabling both ground-supported and autonomous architectural operations. In addition, the project has been doing comparative assessments of data collected utilizing radiation modeling programs, as well as producing advancements of modeling capability to enable protection and operational efficiencies for radiation shielding. As an example, since 2018 RadWorks has invested in the collection and advancement of models supporting Space Weather with the aim of transitioning several space weather models from research to operational use and by developing the ability to utilize those model outputs for scoreboards to provide real-time updates to support human spaceflight missions.

Every year the portfolio of technology work can change. In FY24, the RadWorks project is continuing its maturation and flight certification of advanced, miniaturized radiation measurement technologies, along with their demonstrations. In 2014, the RadWorks project successfully flew the Battery Operated Independent Radiation Detector (BIRD), a simplified, non-integrated version of Radiation Environment Monitor (REM) aboard the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) to validate system operation in a space radiation environment and record charged particle data for post-flight analysis. In addition, there are ten REM sensors flying on the International Space Station (ISS). These sensors are plugged into laptops and are measuring the ionizing radiation environment at different locations in the vehicle. Seven of these sensors transitioned to Flight Operations in June of 2019.

In 2018, the Miniaturized Particle Telescope (MPT), a stacked version of the REM sensor was delivered to ISS as a test instrument to investigate alternate configurations of the TimePix technology. The Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor (HERA), which flew as a Flight Test Objective (FTO) on the Artemis 1 flight, was an example of how Radworks was able to successfully integrate the radiation monitoring system] into the Orion vehicle. In addition, multiple units have been delivered to the Orion program to be flown on Artemis 2 through Artemis 11 missions. The HERA Artemis 2 flight spare is currently on ISS and has been successfully collecting data of the ISS environment since April 2021.

The most recent charged particle detector to be added to the RadWorks portfolio is the Charged Electron Proton Spectrometer (CEPS) that is being develop as a small, lightweight external device to be used as an early warning system for solar particle events (SPEs) that may impact crewed vehicles. This work utilizes the evolution of Timepix technology in order to be able to detect both electron and charged particles outside of a crewed vehicle. It can serve as an early warning for crew to prepare to shelter for impending SPEs.

A payload, the Fast Neutron Spectrometer (FNS), developed by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) flew on ISS from 2016 to August 2023. Its function was to collect data about the neutron environment on the numerous modules on the ISS. Also, Lunar OutpOst Neutron Spectrometer (LOONS) is in the early stage of development (~TRL4). The LOONSis being designed for the measurement of energetic (~0.4–150 MeV) neutrons of solar, terrestrial and lunar origin, as part of a low-Moon orbit or lunar-lander deployment.

Modeling work conducted by the HZETRN team, which is being utilized by multiple vehicle developers, includes updates to modeling capabilities for determining sheltering needs in vehicle designs, as well as assisting with vehicle layouts to maximize crew protection capabilities. Since 2018, the SpaceWeather efforts have identified several models to be incorporated into Scoreboard tools to be used by ground console operators to monitor the space weather environments real time. The MAG4 model from University of Alabama, peak flux models including UMASEP and REleASE from the European HESPERIA 2020 collaboration, as well as the SEPMOD and EPREM have been or are in the process of being incorporate to the Scoreboards. The first use of the Scoreboard occurs during the Artemis 1 mission in December 2022, and was viewed as an excellent tool to assist Radiation console operators.

The technologies can protect crew health through compact, low mass, low power radiation monitoring/alerting for both nominal radiation environments and SPEs, as well as providing vehicle packaging recommendations to enable the mitigation of crew exposure to radiation.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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