High schoolers are designing NASA's shields against deep space radiation
In short: To reach Mars, astronauts must survive a lethal environment of charged ions. NASA recently tasked high school students with solving this problem, selecting one team to fly their experimental shielding design on the first orbital test of the Orion spacecraft.
The Exploration Design Challenge (EDC) was established to engage students in STEM by addressing one of the most significant hazards of human spaceflight: radiation exposure. During missions beyond low Earth orbit, such as a journey to Mars, astronauts face dangerous levels of radiation. To prepare for future crewed missions, NASA needed fresh perspectives on how to mitigate these risks before humans actually board the spacecraft.
Following a nationwide contest lasting one year, Hampton, Virginia's Governor's School for Science and Technology saw Team ARES claim victory. A group of five finalists was reviewed by specialists from the National Institute of Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and NASA to choose their design. The students worked closely with engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center, who provided mentoring and used specialized software to model the students' shielding geometries.
The experimental design will be installed on Orion's crew module for Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). During this flight, the spacecraft will pass through the Van Allen Belt—a dense shell of electrically charged ions surrounding Earth. By using a thermal luminescence dosimeter to measure radiation levels on and inside the student-designed shield, scientists can collect real-world data. This feedback loop allows students to see how well their concepts performed in orbit, helping refine protective solutions for the first human mission.
This collaboration highlights a shift toward involving the next generation of innovators in high-stakes engineering. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden noted that the students' creative ideas forced the agency to take a fresh look at the challenges of deep space travel.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Students Create Winning Design NASA's First Flight of Orion
- Also: Hampton Students Create Winning Design for NASA's First Flight of Orion - NASA
- Also: High school students create winning design for NASA's first flight of Orion
- Also: NASA Science — Orion Capsule - NASA Science
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