2020-2022 Payload: Radiation-Resistant Materials

Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are high-energy subatomic particles that travel through space and pose significant adverse effects to human health and flight electronics. Our previous research into different particle detectors and cosmic ray-induced soft errors in electronics indicate that while the presence of radiation in the upper atmosphere is apparent, it poses a far greater risk to human lives and equipment in space. Materials used in industry such as lead, steel and concrete offer satisfactory shielding capabilities for space missions, but at a high cost of severely increasing the weight of a payload. The problem of creating adequate, light-weight radiation shielding is a prevalent challenge in the aerospace industry that will have to be surmounted should we ever hope of conducting permanent, manned missions beyond Low-Earth Orbit.

For our payload, we plan on conducting an analysis of radiation shielding materials for applications in the aerospace industry. We are focusing specifically on structural materials and protective coatings for electronics. Boron-nitride nanotube (BNNT) composites have significant potential due to their gamma and neutron shielding abilities. Ongoing research also suggests that BNNTs could be added to fibreglass composites to create light structural radiation shielding components in airplanes, satellites and other applications. Metal oxide impregnated acrylic coatings are also relevant candidates due to their potential as a lightweight and low-cost alternative method of shielding electronics from cosmic radiation while providing protection from moisture, dust and sudden temperature changes.

Our goal is to incorporate samples of both materials on radiation detectors in our rocket and determine their effectiveness as radiation shielding materials during flight. Since all of the research data on metal oxide conformal coatings to date is based on theoretical modelling, our plan is to conduct a detailed experimental analysis of the coatings we fabricate. This will include an investigation of their material properties that might affect the performance of these materials if used as protective shielding on aerospace electronics. The effectiveness of these materials for radiation shielding will be tested by monitoring radiation levels in the rocket through the use of gamma-ray and neutron radiation sensitive dosimeters and an open-source student-designed scintillator detector. The scintillator and a dosimeter will act as comparative controls to provide a base measurement of GCR fluence.

All custom electronics will be controlled by a master board that will be armed via RocketCAN concurrently with the rocket’s recovery section before launch. There will be an ancillary board processing data from the scintillator while an additional non-critical board will have sensors recording data of the interior conditions of the CubeSat during flight. This non-critical board will also be coated with a metal oxide conformal coating to validate its functionality as a protective seal from dust and moisture.

All of this equipment will be stored within a 3U CubeSat following the standard CubeSat Design Specification. As a functional, non-deployable payload, all data will be gathered during the rocket’s ascent and descent and will be compared with data acquired prior to flight.