Research and Testing Capabilities:

The CARR has an extensive research program for ground and flight-based radiation effects experiments and tests which are built on the following capabilities:

• Radiation research and testing using gamma rays, protons, neutrons and heavy-ion ground-based radiation sources to simulate the aerospace environment.
• Radiation dosimetry experiments with tissue, silicon, carbon, lead and bone equivalent proportional counters for shield evaluation and radio-biology.
• A variety of instruments for the characterization of electronic devices and associated radiation-induced damage.
• Radiation environment simulation software to model space mission radiation profiles (including HZETRAN).
• 3-D computer modeling and visualization tools for radiation environment analysis.
• Radiation interaction with materials modeling tools (including MCNPX, PHITS).
• A variety of techniques are available for materials characterization.
  • X-ray diffractometer
    
  • Atomic force microscopy
    
  • Scanning tunneling microscopy
• Material degradation studies using an Instron stress-tester and thermal analysis techniques

Recent Milestones:

Performed some of the first radiation experiments on carbon nanotube materials and nano-electronic devices; developed new technique to detect high energy neutrons; developed experimental protocol for high energy neutron shielding evaluation; developed new composites with simulated lunar and Martian regoliths, established MCMPX modeling for protons, neutron and gammas; evaluated data on Mars and Jupiter radiation environments.

Partners/Collaborators:

Industry: Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.; Zyvex Corp.; Advanced Fuel Research Corp.; MERCorp.  Government: NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center, Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, Oak Ridge National Labs, Brookhaven National Labs, Lawrence Berkley Labs; Academia: Texas A&M University, Rice University, University of Texas – Arlington, University of Houston, Texas Southern University, University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Purdue University, University of Florida, Northwestern University.