Ice Radiation Shielding
Light atomic nuclei scatter high energy particles better than heavy nuclei, so the best shielding material is hydrogen dense. Pure solid hydrogen masses only 0.0763 g/cm3 below 14K under pressure. This is not practical in the inner solar system. Other forms of hydrogen containing solids are:
||<-2> ||<-2> Density ||
Material |
Melting |
|
|
H2O |
273 K |
0.916 |
0.102 |
|| CH4 || 91 K || 0.415 || || CH4 Clathrate || 273 K || 0.9 ||