NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

For release: 10/07/03
Photo release #: 03-183

New NASA facility will help protect space crews from radiation

For each experiment at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven in Upton, N.Y., the accelerator produces beams of heavy ions — particles that are the atomic nuclei of elements such as iron, silicon, and carbon. These ions are typical of those accelerated in cosmic sources and by the Sun. The beams of ions move through a 100-meter transport tunnel to a 400-square-foot, shielded target hall. Here, they hit the target, which may be a biological sample or shielding material. The radiation shielding team will place sections of potential shielding materials in the path of the bam and measure how effective the material is at blocking different types of particles. Physicists will use this experimental data to refine models for shielding effectiveness. The Space Radiation Shielding Program is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. (NASA/MSFC/D. Benson)

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