Device and method for protection from radiation in space

1. A device for protection of a body from space radiation, the device comprising:

at least one flexible garment, each section of said at least one flexible garment being configured to shield a region of a surface of the body such that said each section complementarily attenuates self-shielding by internal structure between said region and an interior region of the body such that space radiation at the interior region is attenuated to a predefined attenuation level, and

a plurality of shield elements incorporated into a flexible substrate of the at least one flexible garment, comprising a plurality of bags, each of the bags being configured to be filled with a liquid.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate or said plurality of shield elements comprises a polymer.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of shield elements is embedded within the flexible substrate.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of shield elements has an inward facing surface that is greater than an opposite outward facing surface, such that tapering gaps are formed in between adjacent shield elements of said plurality of shield elements.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the substrate fully or partially fills the gaps.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the flexible substrate comprises a foam.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of shield elements comprises a plurality of sequins that are attached to the flexible substrate and wherein the flexible surface comprises a fabric sheet.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the fabric sheet forms a webbing between said plurality of sequins.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein a garment of said at least one garment comprises a plurality of the fabric sheets formed into layers.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein a sequin of said plurality of sequins on one fabric sheet of said plurality of the fabric sheets is positioned to overlie a gap between adjacent sequins of said plurality of sequins on another fabric sheet of said plurality of fabric sheets.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises a plurality of flexible bag holders, each of said plurality of bags being configured to be inserted into a bag holder of said plurality of flexible bag holders.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one garment comprises a plurality of garments that are configured to be worn in layers, wherein one garment of said plurality of garments is configured such that a shield element of said plurality of shield elements on said one garment is configured to overlie a gap between two adjacent shield elements on another garment of said plurality of garments.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the interior region includes tissue-resident stem cells.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the tissue-resident stem cells are selected from a group of tissue-resident stein cells consisting of distal airway stem cells of the lung, CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells, and intestinal LGR5+ stem cells.

15. A device for protection of a body from space radiation, the device comprising:

at least one flexible garment, each section of said at least one flexible garment being configured to shield a region of a surface of the body such that said each section complementarily attenuates self-shielding by internal structure between said region and an interior region of the body such that space radiation at the interior region is attenuated to a predefined attenuation level, and

a plurality of shield elements incorporated into a flexible substrate of the at least one flexible garment,

wherein a shield element of said plurality of shield elements comprises a plurality of stacked liquid-fillable compartments.

16. The device of claim 15 , further comprising a tube to enable introduction of a liquid into a liquid-fillable compartment of said plurality of stacked liquid fillable compartments or removal of the liquid frog a liquid-fillable compartment of said plurality of stacked liquid-fillable compartments.

17. A method for preventing a space radiation-induced condition in a body in space, the method comprising:

determining a required attenuation of space radiation at an interior region of the body so as to prevent the space radiation-induced condition under an anticipated exposure of the body to space radiation;

determining self-shielding from the space radiation corresponding to each surface region of a plurality of regions of a surface of the body by determining attenuation of the radiation by internal structure of the body that lies between the interior region and said each surface region;

providing a space radiation protection device comprising at least one flexible garment, each section of said at least one flexible garment being configured to attenuate space radiation to a shielded surface region of plurality of regions of a surface of the body to complementarily attenuate the self-shielding by the shielded surface region; and

providing a plurality of shield elements incorporated into a flexible substrate of the at least one flexible garment and having a plurality of bags, each of the bags being configured to be filled with a liquid.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the space radiation-induced condition comprises mutagenesis or destruction of stem cells and the interior region comprises a stem cell niche.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining the required space radiation attenuation comprises determining an attenuation required to prevent a Bragg peak of the space radiation from occurring within the interior region.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining the required attenuation of space radiation comprises determining total areal density of shielding to the interior region to prevent the space radiation-induced condition, the determined self-shielding comprises an areal density of the internal structure that lies between the interior region and said each surface region, and wherein an areal density of said each section is at least a difference between said total areal density and said areal density of the internal structure.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of bags comprise a plurality of stacked liquid-fillable compartments.