Effects of Extreme Radiation Environment on Composite Materials

Abstract

ABSTRACTFuture manned space travel will go beyond the Lower Earth Orbit into deep space exploration and providing protection from space radiation is a major challenge. It is essential to study the effects of the space environment on materials to ensure safe and successful missions.This paper summarized the studies of two materials, in-site regolith composites and LTM 45 composites, for potential applications in space radiation environments. The effects of radiation on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The radiation shielding effectiveness of in-situ composites and low temperature molding materials was analyzed. The work was part of the efforts in study and development of the multifunctiaonal materials for long-term radiation exposures to ensure effective radiation shielding and maintaining integrity of materials' mechanical and thermal properties for future space missions.