Jerusalem – StemRad, an Israeli tech company that produces personal radiation protection equipment for a variety of applications, is joining NASA in its venture into deep space, and primarily to Mars.
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After reaching the Moon in April with SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft, the Israeli space tech scene is booming. While SpaceIL recently announced it would aim again for the Moon in its next mission, one Israeli company is already taking part in a Space venture and has joined NASA in its future missions to Mars.
One of the biggest obstacles for astronauts on long deep-space missions is the immense solar radiation. The exposure to solar particles outside the protective atmosphere can be very harmful to the astronauts who may suffer exposure to high doses of radiation. The leading cause of death, in this case, is damage to the individual’s bone marrow, the body’s blood factory.
StemRad specializes in personal radiation solutions, providing service to military forces, first responders to disaster sites, reactor personnel, physicians and astronauts. In all these fields, radiation is a significant occupational hazard.
Developing cost-effective and comfortable solutions is quite a challenge. StemRad’s solution to the radiation problem harnesses the regenerative capability of stem cells to allow the body to recover after exposure. They do so by selectively and effectively shielding the bone marrow and other stem cell-rich organs in the abdominal and pelvic regions such as the ovaries, colon and bladder.
StemRad explained that their solution is the only way to provide protection while remaining mobile, which is crucial for astronauts in Space. Additionally, the company says that competing whole body solutions offer little to no protection from penetrating radiation such as gamma rays, as they would have to weigh a quarter of a ton to do so.
The Israel Space Agency sponsored StemRad, which partnered with Lockheed Martin to send the vest to the International Space Station. The vest will feature the Israeli flag, marking the significant contribution Israel has made to safe space exploration.
The launch of the product will take place in October and will enter a testing phase to examine the viability of the personal protective equipment for operational use. The vest will be tested by three female astronauts in various micro-gravity scenarios.
This is a crucial test before the equipment can be used for deep space missions.