NASA’s Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator - Studying the Effects of Space Radiation on Earth

Earth’s atmosphere and natural magnetic field do a good job of protecting us from space radiation. Space radiation is different from radiation on Earth, which mostly comes from sources found in rocks and soil or from medical procedures like X-rays. Space radiation comes from particles ejected from the Sun, or from the explosions of dying stars (called supernovae) outside our solar system. These particles have been stripped of their electrons as they are accelerated in space to almost the speed of light. One of NASA’s biggest challenges is protecting astronauts from these high-energy particles, called galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), because they can cause cancer and other diseases. To understand the biological damage caused by GCRs and to develop ways to protect astronauts, NASA has built a galactic cosmic ray simulator on Earth.