High‐Speed Computational Applications for Space Radiation Shielding Analysis

Expanding knowledge of the complexities of the space radiation environment and its interactions with matter, coupled with greater burdens associated with budgetary and time constraints, have given impetus to the need for application of more sophisticated analyses in more abbreviated time spans. Recent work at NASA‐LaRC in this area has resulted in development of high efficiency algorithms coupled with high speed computers and visualization hardware and software to analyze space radiation effects and shielding methodologies for advanced missions. Special interfacing with CAD solid models and 3‐D immersive visualization equipment plays a major role in this endeavor. Recent applications have included analyses for EVA in a CAD‐modeled STS space suit, for vector flux exposure in an ISS habitation module, and for preliminary exposure predictions within a conceptual habitation module at an Earth‐Moon libration point. Execution times for these heretofore rather lengthy analyses have been reduced from matters of h...