New Simulations for Radiation Shielding Materials in Lunar Habitats

Regolith utilisation in habitat construction is at the heart of this paper. This work aims to study the shielding properties of lunar regolith in the Moon radiation environment. The simulations are done with RayXpert® software developed at TRAD Tests & Radiations. The software is a Monte Carlo based user-friendly tool. It allows for selective generation of primary radiation sources, detailed 3D visualisations and energy deposition calculations based on GEANT4 kernel and physics capability. The results are compared to literature and the OLTARIS tool of NASA. The radiation protection potential is evaluated from the secondary emissions produced behind a regolith wall of a hemispheric dome and their relative significance both in terms of energy deposition and quality factors. This study allows evaluating the capability of RayXpert® to perform this kind of calculations. The first results included in this paper follow the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle. The outlook section of this paper suggests a list of supplementary materials which can be put into a multilayer structure to enhance radiation protection.