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Radiation is one of the most interesting phenomena we encounter while exploring outer space. Space radiation has a vastly different composition and is much more intense than its terrestrial equivalent. Not only must we protect our astronauts and spacecraft against its harmful effects, it also helps us understand our universe and how it formed! That is why we want to learn as much as possible about the space radiation environment.

At SpaceRad Laboratory, we focus on the characterization of radiation environments aboard spacecraft exploring various parts of our solar system — for example on the International Space Station in orbit around Earth or aboard rovers on the lunar surface.

Space radiation is the most important thing we must understand before missions to Mars are possible.

Prof. Ulrich Walter, former German astronaut

And so, if we want to be space farers, then radiation is just a fact of life. […] there’s many ways that radiation can hurt us, but it is one thing that we absolutely have to solve.

Dr. Mike Barratt, NASA astronaut

How Do We Protect Astronauts from Radiation?

April 8, 2019 by Martin Losekamm

You might have been wondering how knowing about radiation and what exactly it consists of can help us protect astronauts. After all, knowing that something is going to hit you when you can do nothing about it doesn’t really improve the situation you are in. There are several ways we can protect astronauts. Whenever we … Continue reading How Do We Protect Astronauts from Radiation?

Germany’s Astronauts

April 2, 2019 by Martin Losekamm

Radiation is omnipresent in space and thus affects all astronauts, be they American, European, Chinese, Russian, or from any other part of the world. However, as a German university group, we naturally have a special interest in “our” German astronauts and their European colleagues. Germany has a long history of manned space flight, dating back … Continue reading Germany’s Astronauts

How Do We Measure Radiation?

March 25, 2019 by Martin Losekamm

Space radiation consists of countless tiny particles—smaller than the atoms in your body—whizzing around at close to the speed of light. How can we detect things so small that no microscope on Earth could possibly reveal them? Most radiation particles carry an electrical charge. Electrons and protons have an intrinsic charge with equal absolute value … Continue reading How Do We Measure Radiation?

Why Do We Need to Test Our Sensors in Space?

March 11, 2019 by Martin Losekamm

So why do we want to perform an experiment on the International Space Station (ISS)? Why can’t we do it on Earth? And why is it so important to us? Thomas and I have been developing new concepts and technologies for measuring radiation for a couple of years now. We started working on it while … Continue reading Why Do We Need to Test Our Sensors in Space?

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