What You Wear in Space Can Save Your Life
Traveling into space as an astronaut is a challenging mission, and planning and purpose must go into every aspect of your journey – including what you wear to get there.
According to NASA, space radiation “may place astronauts at significant risk for radiation sickness, and increased lifetime risk for cancer, central nervous system effects, and degenerative diseases.” Estimates show astronauts are exposed to radiation equal to 150 to 6,000 chest x-rays.
AstroRad is a lightweight, ergonomically‑designed vest designed by StemRad with support from the Israel Space Agency and in partnership with Lockheed Martin, that embeds high‑density‑polyethylene (HDPE) shielding in a hexagonal pattern to protect the most radiosensitive organs without restricting mobility. In August 2026, data collected aboard Lockheed Martin‑built Orion during the uncrewed Artemis I flight confirmed that AstroRad reduces effective radiation dose to critical organs during major solar particle events (SPEs). The vest, modeled after anti-radiation vests used by first responders here on Earth, could be a game-changer for space travel.
Science‑Backed Radiation Protection
- Peer‑Reviewed Validation – A study published in Science Advances (2026) analyzes radiation measurements from tissue‑equivalent manikin torsos (Zohar wearing AstroRad, Helga unshielded) flown in Orion’s crew cabin.
- Dose Reduction – Up to 60 % reduction in effective dose to bone marrow, lungs and stomach during SPEs, equivalent to eliminating ≈193 days of deep‑space background exposure.
- Career‑Length Benefits – Keeps cumulative astronaut exposure well below NASA’s career dose limits, preserving health and mission‑readiness for Artemis II/III and future Mars voyages.
- Operational Viability – The vest added < 2 kg of mass to the crew‑cab, a negligible penalty compared with the protection it provides.
- Human‑Factors Proven – Prior CHARGE (Comfort and Human factors AstroRad Radiation Garment Evaluation) experiments aboard the ISS demonstrated excellent fit, comfort, and mobility in microgravity; Artemis I data adds flight‑proven performance.
Designing for Deep Space
Lockheed Martin’s role in bringing AstroRad to space included lending our expertise in the deep space radiation environment and the logistics of human space flight.
“We worked with StemRad to help them ensure that this vest functions properly in deep space, while making it something comfortable for astronauts to wear” said Kathleen Coderre, Deputy Manager for Deep Space Exploration, Advanced Programs, Lockheed Martin Space.
AstroRad is designed to protect against solar particle events in particular; these events occur more naturally around solar maximums – periods of maximum solar activity in the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle.
“The radiation environment in space is significantly different than on Earth,” said Dr. Oren Milstein, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of StemRad. “While on Earth heavy elements such as lead are ideal for shielding against photon radiation such as gamma rays, space radiation is mostly made of charged particles such as protons, which are most efficiently stopped by hydrogen.”
AstroRad uses proprietary plastic made of hydrocarbon polymers – the highest concentration of hydrogen in solid form – to protect astronauts.
Like its first responder predecessor, this astronaut vest’s material varies in thickness across the body, with the goal of better protecting organs more susceptible to radiation like breast tissue, lungs and bone marrow tissue, said Dr. Milstein.
One major change took the vest from a pelvic-centric design – more beneficial for radiation here on Earth – to a full-torso design – more beneficial for space radiation.
Designing a vest for deep space also meant considering some surprising factors – including flammability.
“Fire protection is something you wouldn’t think of but because you’re in an oxygen rich environment on the spacecraft, flammability and off-gassing are really big concerns,” said Coderre. “We had to pick the right materials, work with the safety team and do a lot of flammability testing.”
CHARGE-ing On the International Space Station
You wouldn’t buy a piece of clothing without trying it on, right?
NASA’s CHARGE is an experiment that began in 2019 to test the movement, form, fit and function of AstroRad with five astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
“We got some great feedback from the crew on ways we can make some modifications to make it more comfortable, more usable and basically enable them to wear it for longer periods of time,” said Coderre of CHARGE.
3, 2, 1…Launching MARE
Lockheed Martin and StemRad made waves with AstroRad’s viability through the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE).
MARE placed two dummy torsos, built by the German Aerospace Center, DLR, on the Artemis I mission – one wearing an AstroRad vest, and one without. More than 5,600 sensors in the torsos measured radiation levels throughout the mission, which took the Orion spacecraft around the Moon, to determine to what degree the vest offers protection.
The experiment’s side‑by‑side comparison on Artemis I showed the vest can reduce effective radiation dose from strong solar storms by up to ~60 %, delivering the first detailed organ‑specific exposure data beyond low‑Earth orbit. This demonstrates a practical, mass‑efficient shield that enhances astronaut safety and extends mission‑duration limits for future lunar and Mars voyages.
