Real world Why a shelter is needed
Earth's magnetic field and thick atmosphere protect us from most space radiation. On the Moon and Mars, that protection is missing or weak. Every so often, the Sun blasts out huge clouds of energetic particles in a "solar particle event". Without shelter, astronauts outside could receive a dangerous dose in hours.
Possible future How it would work
The shelter would be a small, central room buried deep under soil or surrounded by water tanks. Materials containing a lot of hydrogen, like water and plastic, are especially good at slowing down the particles. Space weather forecasters would give warnings, and everyone would move inside until the storm passed, with food, water, air supply and communications ready.
Real world Real solutions today
NASA's Orion spacecraft, built to carry astronauts around the Moon, has a plan for solar storms: the crew packs stowage bags and supplies around themselves in a central area to build a temporary shelter. On the International Space Station, astronauts move to better-shielded parts of the station during strong solar storms.
Art In this artwork
This illustration shows a squat armored bunker with thick walls, a heavy door and warning stripes.
Look closer
- Notice the thick, sloping walls.
- Find the warning stripes. Why might they be there?
Think about it
- How would you keep spirits up while sheltering for two days?
- Why might water be a good radiation shield?
- How do we prepare for storms on Earth?
Key words
- Radiation
- Energy that travels as waves or fast particles.
- Solar particle event
- A burst of energetic particles from the Sun.
- Shielding
- Material placed between people and danger.
Use it in class
- How could humans live on Mars? (Explainer, grades 5-12)
Sources
The real-world facts on this page are based on these sources:
- NASA Human Research Program, hazards of human spaceflight (radiation, isolation, distance, gravity, hostile environments)
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, space weather and the 1859 Carrington Event
