CAD-Based Stand-Alone Spacecraft Radiation Exposure Analysis System: An Application of the Early Man-Tended Space Station

Major improvements have been completed in the approach to analyses and simulation of spacecraft radiation shielding and exposure. A Computer-Aided Design (CAD)-based system has been developed for determining the amount of shielding provided by a spacecraft and simulating transmission of an incident radiation environment to any point within or external to the vehicle. Shielding analysis is performed using a customized ray-tracing subroutine contained within a standard engineering modeling software package.

This improved shielding analysis technique has been used in several vehicle design programs such as a Mars transfer habitat, pressurized lunar rover, and the redesigned international Space Station. Results of analysis performed for the Space Station astronaut exposure assessment are provided to demonstrate the applicability and versatility of the system.