Radiation Operations: Lessons Learned from Artemis-I

Following the successful Artemis-I mission in late 2022, the Space Radiation Analysis Group (SRAG) at NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) has implemented lessons learned from that mission support toward planning for crewed missions (Artemis-II and beyond). As we approach Artemis-II launch, currently planned for November 2024, SRAG is using advancements in console tools, monitoring hardware and vehicle analysis methods to improve their capability to protect the crew from effects of large Solar Particle Events (SPEs). Model Scoreboards developed with the Coordinated Community Modeling Center (CCMC) and Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office (M2M) at Goddard Space Flight Center have undergone continued refinement incorporating model updates provided by the developers as well as feedback from SRAG and M2M end users. This collaboration has also expanded to include a community-wide effort to validate the outputs of the individual models, enhancing the end users' confidence in the reliability of the tool set. The Acute Radiation Risk Tool (ARRT) developed by SRAG has been updated to improve the predictive capability of a biological response to an enhanced radiation environment. The Artemis Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor (HERA) on Space Station (AHoSS) instrument has been operating on the International Space Station (ISS), allowing the radiation console operators to become familiar with the data stream as it will be used in the HERA units manifested on Artemis-II. Additionally, SRAG has worked with the vehicle provider to assess the design of and determine the preferred shelter configuration in case projected exposure is high enough to warrant crew action. As NASA progresses from the ISS to beyond-Low Earth Obit missions to the Moon and Mars, the team is using their prior experience to mitigate crew effects due to increases in radiation exposure.