Radiation shielding for space as well as some terrestrial applications is challenging due to the wide variety and energy ranges of radiation particles. NASA Ames has developed a novel technology that provides a new process for designing and accurately tuning radiation shields to possess the specific characteristics required for each application before testing, reducing the need for iterative radiation beam testing throughout the development process.
The difference between Layered Energy Depletion Radiation Shielding (LEDRS) and Stacked Energy Depletion Radiation Shielding (SEDRS) is how the piece of matter, or shield, is analyzed as radiation passes through the matter. SEDRS involves using a defined and ordered stack of layers of shielding with different material properties such that the thickness and chemical properties of each material maximizes the absorption of energy from the radiation particles that are most damaging to the target.
This shielding method aims to provide the maximum level of energy absorption while still keeping shielding mass and volume low. The process of LEDRS involves using layers of shielding material such that the thickness of each material is designed to absorb the maximum amount of energy from the radiation particles that are most damaging to the target after subsequent layers of shielding. The more energy is absorbed by the shielding material, the less energy will be deposited in the target minimizing the required mass to achieve a resulting lower dose for a given geometrical feature.
The method aims to provide the maximum level of energy absorption. The process for designing LEDRS views potential radiation shields as a cascade of effects from each shielding layer to the next and is helpful for investigating the effects of each layer. SEDRS and LEDRS can improve any technology that relies on the controlled manipulation of a radiation field by interaction with a material element.
Key applications are in the space industry for improving radiation shielding for manned missions to the Moon or Mars, or providing enhanced radiation capabilities to satellites in LEO; medical industry for improving medical radiation therapy by enabling the optimization of radiation-lensing systems to emit only the desired radiation, as well the optimization of lens materials for reduced cost; ion propulsion applications for providing tailored radiation lensing to create the radiation streams with the desired characteristics; energy industry for providing shielding as in the space industry, or for assisting in the development of new energy methods by enabling specific, controlled reactions; sensor instruments for using with controlled beams of radiation in X-rays and CAT Scans; as well as commercial and military aircraft for providing improved radiation shielding.
NASA is actively seeking licensees to commercialize this technology. Please contact NASA’s licensing Concierge at
