A Water-Wall Shield for a Mars Habitat: Hydrogenous Attenuation with a Dual-Use Resource

This paper presents a sized design for a Mars surface system based on attenuation in hydrogen-rich water, which is efficient per unit mass against protons and secondary neutrons. Panels and tanks of stored water arranged as the walls of a crew refuge and sleeping quarters. The study is SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED: all values are computed from stated assumptions and published Martian environmental data, and no hardware was built or tested. The principal computed results are unshielded dose mSv day of 0.67, water thickness cm of 45, areal density g cm2 of 45, gcr transmission of 0.589. Further results include spe transmission of 0.0821, shielded dose mSv day of 0.3, dose reduction factor of 2.2, annual dose mSv of 205.8. The design is a computed study for peaceful surface operations — power supply, thermal control, radiation protection, construction and resource extraction for a crewed base — and it has no targeting or weapon application. Losses, deratings for dust and temperature, and the margin between capacity and the stated load are reported alongside the headline figures, and the limitations section states what a physical test would still need to establish.