Space Radiation and Astronaut Safety

This brief explores the biological effects of long-term radiation on astronauts in deep space. As missions progress beyond Earth's orbit and away from the protection of its magnetic shielding, astronauts risk constant exposure to higher levels of galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events. The text concisely addresses the full spectrum of biomedical consequences from exposure to space radiation and goes on to present possible ways to mitigate such dangers and protect astronauts within the limitations of existing technologies.

Erik Seedhouse works as an assistant professor (Applied Aviation Sciences and Aerospace and Occupational Safety) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, where he teaches Human Factors in Aviation (SF 320) in addition to courses in the Commercial Space Operations curriculum. He is also the Manager of the Suborbital Spaceflight Simulator, Mission Control Center. Between 2008 and 2013, he was director of Canada’s manned centrifuge operations and managed the hypobaric facility at DRDC Toronto. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, a member of the Space Medical Association, and member of the Suborbital Technical Committee. In 2009, he was one of the final 30 candidates in the Canadian Space Agency’s Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. Erik is the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and a published author with more than 25 books to his name, including two textbooks for the International Space University.