New Geant4 based simulation tools for space radiation shielding and effects analysis

We present here a set of tools for space applications based on the Geant4 simulation toolkit, developed for radiation shielding analysis as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) activities in the Geant4 collaboration. The Sector Shielding Analysis Tool (SSAT) and the Materials and Geometry Association (MGA) utility will first be described. An overview of the main features of the MUlti-LAyered Shielding SImulation Software tool (MULASSIS) will follow. The tool is specifically addressed to shielding optimization and effects analysis. A Java interface allows the use of MULASSIS by the space community over the World Wide Web, integrated in the widely used SPENVIS package. The analysis of the particle transport output provides automatically radiation fluence, ionising and NIEL dose and effects analysis. ESA is currently funding the porting of this tools to a lowcost parallel processor facility using the GRID technology under the ESA SpaceGRID initiative. Other Geant4 present and future projects will be presented related to the study of space environment effects on spacecrafts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]