Space-age materials

A team of researchers are studying the properties of cosmic rays to gain a better understanding of the radiation environment encountered during space travel.

Physicists from the University of Chicago are involved in experiments developed to research the properties of cosmic rays, which will help NASA better understand the radiation environment in space. The high energies inherent in cosmic rays are believed to present health hazards to human space travel, as well as potentially damage space hardware.

The project was specifically designed to measure the energy and charge of heavy cosmic ray nuclei (oxygen to iron) in the previously unexplored region between 10¹⁴ and 10¹⁵ electron volts and, ultimately, to identify the deep-space origins of high-energy cosmic rays. Since even the weak magnetic fields in outer space are strong enough to bend the paths of charged particles like cosmic rays, their direction as observed from earth cannot determine their source. Direct measurements of cosmic rays may prove that shock waves from supernova explosions accelerate nuclei from the material they pass through, thus generating cosmic rays.