Could water protect astronauts from radiation? 💧

Could water protect astronauts from radiation? 💧

It turns out water is great at blocking radiation. But using water as a protection system has its challenges.

A team from the Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group (PBM) at Ghent University in Belgium is looking into a new option: superabsorbent polymers (SAPs).

These materials might be safer and more effective than water alone.

SAPs can soak up hundreds of times their weight in liquid, similar to those “grow monster” toys that expand in water. When swollen with liquid, they’re called “hydrogels.”

📹 ESA - European Space Agency
📸 Lenny Van Daele/Johan Dubruel

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