So, I’m heading out this week for radiological instrumentation training. And while I’m studying the latest in handheld “duck-and-cover” devices, I thought I’d take a second to talk about radiation protection.
Actually, everyone is used to doing it. The dental chair. The strangely-shaped things in your mouth. The lead apron. -Or how about gooping up before hitting the beach or the hotel pool? X-Ray Machines and UV rays. -Not quite scary as they are inconvenient.
Well, what are x-rays and ultraviolet rays other than electromagnetic radiation? -That’s right, they’re the same as the “radiation” that serves as the terror-inducing, little-understood plot point in a zillion bad sci-fi flicks. X-rays are simply a stronger variant of the ultraviolet-rays that can fry your skin and a weaker variant of the gamma-rays that beam out of radioactive cesium and can fry your DNA.
The apron you wear at the dentist and the sunblock you slather on are common radiation shields. And, for that matter, so is your skin.
Radiation is a way of life – it beams down from the sun and up from the Earth’s rocks. Plants soak up naturally-radioactive potassium and beam radiation at you from all sides, 24-hours-a-day. We’re built to handle it down here. Life has adapted. -And while politicians count on the scary sci-fi-effect the word “RADIATION” has on people, it’s nothing to worry about compared to the chemicals we deal with and transport in day-to-day life. (Try breathing chlorine bleach for more than a couple of seconds and you’ll see what I mean. But seriously, don’t do that.)
In space, however, it’s a different story. Without the Earth’s atmosphere to act as a natural shield, we’re unprotected from the sun and distant stars’ powerful cosmic radiation.
To make matters worse, most radiation shields (e.g., lead,) are heavy. The cost of launching heavy materials up to space is enormous, not to mention that lead is a toxic metal, poisonous to astronauts with long exposure times.
It’s times like these that companies like Radiation Shield Technologies catch my eye. While they’re not necessarily working on NASA-spirited technologies, (they’re more looking at the emergency responders,) the product they’re offering definitely has out-of-this-world merit.
Namely, they’ve developed a fabric called Demron, which according to a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory study possesses many of the radiation-shielding properties of lead while being lightweight, flexible, and potentially layer-able with a bullet-proof fabric like Kevlar.
To me, products like this are where we need to start looking to develop the practical tools of next-generation astronauts and space workers (astrowrights). While Demron currently doesn’t shield well against the most extreme high-energy rays and particles, it is definitely a start, and it’s much more user-friendly and cost-effective (lighter) than lead.
Considering what an effective combination Demron would be with the micrometeorite protection that a ballistic fabric like Kevlar would offer, I would challenge clothing designers to start putting their heads together to incorporate them into comfortable, practical space-wear for our men and women in orbit.
Like on Earth, radiation is a way of life in space, too. We should start thinking that way, and Demron seems a good place to start.
Chronicles of an Atomic Astrowright 
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