Advanced Climatology Innovations for Space Radiation Environments

The Space Ionizing Radiation Environment and Effects (SIRE2) toolkit was developed to provide the space radiation environment and effects community with state-of-the-art models that can be used not just for satellites but also for arbitrary trajectories. The SIRE2 Advance Climatology (SIRE2-AC) capabilities will be developed for the SIRE2 toolkit. SIRE2-AC will provide the space radiation community with a tool that can calculate the environment at a spacecraft that is on a trajectory in the inner Solar System. The Fifth Gait team is also planning to expand the radiation transport capabilities in SIRE2 to allow for complex shielding configurations to specified for a calculation inside of SIRE2 to enable human dose calculations inside of SIRE2. In addition, Fifth Gait will construct a mission-integrated fluence model that can be used for trajectories in the inner Solar System. As a stretch goal for this Phase II, the Fifth Gait team will update MSSREM peak flux model with large historical SEP events modeled with RISCS. The Fifth Gait team plans to use the RISCS toolset, which is a operationally viable version of the iPATH model. We plan to fine-tune the physical models and numerical algorithms in RISCS to enable the capability to model more complex SEP events. These SEP events will be compiled in the SIRE2 RISCS databases that will be used by all the SIRE2-AC capabilities. The SIRE2-AC proposal is submitted to the Space Weather Research-to-Operations/Operations-to-Research (R2O/O2R) Technology Development subtopic. SIRE2-AC will provide enhanced forecasts of the energetic particle conditions encounter by spacecraft in the inner Solar System. Arbitrary trajectories can be read into SIRE2, allowing for environment calculations along these trajectories, including Lunar and Mars-based space environments. The proposed Phase I effort will result in numerous deliverables, include the new environment models and environment calculations in the inner Solar System.

When the goals of the Phase II effort are completed, NASA will have access to a tool that can space radiation environment calculations for the inner Solar System. SIRE2-AC will rely on the SIRE2 RISCS databases generated during this Phase II that inlcudes SEP events modeled at multiple locations in the inner Solar System. The current NASA programs, projects or missions that could benefit from this effort are the Artemis Mission, ISS, Space Launch System, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicles, JASON-3, SMAP, and the Moon to Mars campaign.

Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin can utilize this Phase I/II work support future space adventure plans. SIRE2 could provide these companies with state-of-the-art models to support their space missions. This Phase II effort could be used to support SpaceX’s missions to the International Space Station. There are also numerous DoD and DoE programs that could benefit from enhanced forecasting.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.