Scientists have developed Europe’s first simulator capable of recreating galactic cosmic rays, one of the most dangerous radiation threats in deep-space travel.
An international research team built the system with support from the European Space Agency at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research accelerator facility in Darmstadt, Germany.
The system allows researchers to recreate the radiation environment astronauts face beyond Earth’s magnetic field.
Scientists published the results in two papers in the journal Life Sciences in Space Research.
Until now, Europe lacked a reliable way to reproduce galactic cosmic radiation on Earth.
The simulator provides scientists with a controlled environment to study these risks.
Deep-space radiation threat
Astronauts traveling beyond Earth’s magnetic field face constant exposure to cosmic radiation.
Deep-space missions face far higher levels than those in low Earth orbit.
Galactic cosmic rays originate outside the solar system.
Explosive cosmic events such as supernovae accelerate these particles across the Milky Way.
These particles consist mostly of protons and helium nuclei.
They also include heavier high-charge and high-energy particles known as HZE particles.
Scientists estimate that a proton passes through every cell in an astronaut’s body every few days. Helium nuclei pass through cells every few weeks.
Beam modulator used to shape ion beams for galactic cosmic ray simulation. Credit – GSI/FAIR
Heavier particles arrive roughly every few months.
Radiation also interacts with spacecraft shielding. These interactions create neutrons and fragments that increase radiation exposure.
Galactic cosmic rays pose major long-term health risks.
They can increase cancer risk, damage cells, and affect the central nervous system.
Radiation can also disrupt spacecraft electronics.
Understanding these hazards remains essential for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Europe’s first GCR simulator
Researchers built the simulator using accelerators at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research complex in Darmstadt.
“Until now, there has been no reliable way to simulate GCRs in Europe,” explains Marco Durante, professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt and head of GSI/FAIR’s research department Biophysics.
“That’s why our research team, with the support of our ESA partners, developed a simulator for GCRs and put it into operation at GSI/FAIR as part of the FAIR Phase 0 experiment program.”
The system uses high-energy ion beams produced by GSI accelerators.
Scientists begin with a beam of iron ions and vary its energy before directing it into specially designed beam modulators.
Researchers optimized the modulators to recreate radiation conditions similar to deep space.
“Our results show good agreement with the values known from space missions.”
“This technique can be used to generate a mixed radiation field that replicates the GCR exposure in a lightly shielded habitat like a spacecraft.”
Future space mission research
The simulator gives scientists another platform to study cosmic radiation.
Until now, the only comparable system operated at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States, with support from NASA.
Both systems currently produce ion beams with energies up to one gigaelectronvolt per nucleon.
“In the future, we want to make the GCR simulator available to scientists for further space radiation research,” says Christoph Schuy of the GSI Biophysics department.
“True to our claim, we bring the Universe to the lab with this achievement.”