Radiation Shielding Calculator

Calculate radiation dose reduction from shielding material type, thickness, and solar activity level.

Inputs

Mission duration (days)

Material type (1-4)

Shield thickness (cm)

Solar activity (1-3)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Mission dose (mSv)

Dose reduction (%)75%

% of career limit9%

Shielded rate (mSv/day)0.3

Shield mass (kg/m²)97

Unshielded dose (mSv)216

Total Dose Sv0.05

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the mission duration in days.
Select the shielding material type: 1 = Aluminum, 2 = Polyethylene, 3 = Water, or 4 = Regolith.
Input the shield thickness in centimeters.
Select the solar activity level: 1 = Solar minimum (most GCR), 2 = Moderate, or 3 = Solar maximum.
Review the estimated mission dose in mSv, dose reduction percentage, and comparison to the NASA 600 mSv career limit, along with shield mass per square meter.

How the result changes with Shield thickness (cm)

Shield thickness (cm)	Mission dose (mSv)
10	54
35	1.7
65	0
90	0

What each input means

Mission duration (days): Total time in space.
Material type (1-4): 1 = Aluminum, 2 = Polyethylene, 3 = Water, 4 = Regolith.
Shield thickness (cm): Thickness of shielding material.
Solar activity (1-3): 1 = Solar minimum (most GCR), 2 = Moderate, 3 = Solar maximum.

What each result means

Mission dose (mSv): Total radiation dose behind shielding.
Dose reduction (%): Percentage of radiation blocked.
% of career limit: Percentage of NASA 600 mSv career limit.
Shielded rate (mSv/day): Daily dose rate behind shielding.
Shield mass (kg/m²): Shielding mass per square meter.
Unshielded dose (mSv): Mission dose without shielding.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Mission duration (days) = 180, Material type (1-4) = 2, Shield thickness (cm) = 10, Solar activity (1-3) = 2 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Mission dose
Mission dose = round(shieldedDoseRate * missionDays * 10) / 10
54 = 54
Calculate Dose reduction
Dose reduction
75 = 75%
Calculate % of career limit
% of career limit
9 = 9%

Engine last updated August 6, 2026.

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