NASA’s Artemis I mission finds higher cosmic radiation near the Moon than Earth orbit

NASA’s Artemis I mission has measured cosmic radiation near the Moon and found it to be higher than in low Earth orbit, though not as much as anticipated, ScienceDaily Health reported.

The mission used tiny lithium fluoride crystal detectors embedded in human-shaped mannequins aboard the Orion spacecraft to record radiation exposure during its lunar journey in late 2022.

These detectors, developed by the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, capture microscopic changes caused by radiation, which are later analyzed under a microscope to reveal radiation tracks.

Researchers described a new method to analyze the data from these fluorescent detectors, providing insights into cosmic radiation levels and how radiation interacts with the human body in space.

The findings were published in the journal Radiation Measurements, highlighting important information for future lunar exploration and astronaut safety.