Plastics can effectively block cosmic radiation.

Lighter materials, such as plastics, could help astronauts effectively block harmful radiation during space travel.

The findings by American scientists were published in the June 12 issue of the American Geophysical Union's online journal "Space Weather".

The image is for illustrative purposes only. (Source: plasticstoday.com)

A research team from the University of New Hampshire and the Southwest Research Institute in the U.S. discovered this based on observations of crater radiation effects (CRaTER) through the cosmic ray telescope on the U.S. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Plastic could help reduce health risks for those undertaking future missions deep into space.

According to researchers, aluminum has always been a primary material in spacecraft construction, but its ability to protect humans against high-energy cosmic rays is relatively low and could significantly increase the operating costs of spacecraft compared to plastic materials.

In a statement, lead researcher Cary Zeitlin said: "This is the first study to use space-based observation to confirm whether plastics and other lightweight materials can block cosmic radiation more effectively than aluminum."

Zeitlin argues that shielding against cosmic rays cannot completely solve the problem of radiation contamination in deep space, but it will make a clear difference in the effectiveness of different materials.

Comparisons between plastics and aluminum are conducted in ground-based laboratory tests using beams of heavy particles, simulating cosmic rays.

Researchers found that the shielding effect of plastic in space is entirely consistent with what they discovered from beam experiments.

Researchers used the CRaTER tool to assess the amount of cosmic radiation after it passed through a material called tissue-equivalent resin (which mimics muscle tissue in the human body).

CRaTER observations have confirmed the models and ground-based measurements, meaning the lightweight shielding material can be safely used for long-duration missions, providing structural properties that can withstand the rigors of space.

According to (Vietnam+) - VT