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Comparison of Doses in Lunar Habitats Located at the Surface and in Crater

Authors :
Naser T. Burahmah
Lawrence H. Heilbronn
Source :
Aerospace, Vol 10, Iss 11, p 970 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

As humanity prepares for extended lunar exploration, understanding the radiation environment on the Moon is important for astronaut safety. This study utilized the Particle and Heavy-Ion Transport code System (PHITS), a stochastic Monte Carlo-based radiation transport code, to simulate the radiation environment inside a habitat, focusing on the impact of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) interacting with local lunar and habitat material, and to calculate the effective dose equivalent. Placing a lunar base in a crater can provide additional shielding by reducing the GCR flux incident on the base. Furthermore, the secondary radiation field created by GCR interactions may be altered by the local topological features. GCR transport calculations were performed for a hypothetical base on a flat surface and in shallow and deep craters to determine the overall efficacy in dose reduction gained by placing a base in a 100 m diameter crater. Our findings indicate that the depth of lunar habitats significantly influences the effective dose equivalent, with deeper locations offering substantial protection. Specifically, alongside a crater wall at a deep depth (15 m), in solar minimum conditions, the total dose was reduced by approximately 44.9% compared to the dose at the surface. Similarly, at a shallow depth (5 m), a reduction of approximately 10.7% was observed. As the depth of the crater increased, the neutron contribution to the total dose also increased. Comparing the simulated doses to NASA’s lifetime exposure limits provides insights into mission planning and astronaut safety, emphasizing the importance of strategic habitat placement and design.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22264310
Volume :
10
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Aerospace
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.69623785e21b406f8f1c1ff22c373dcb
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10110970