NASA | Radiation Shielding Materials Containing Hydrogen, Boron, and Nitrogen

Space radiation can cause serious damage to human DNA. It can also cause a variety of long term ailments including cataracts, cancer, and sterility. With current technology, humans cannot travel beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) for more than 100 days and still stay below permissible radiation exposure limits. To solve this problem, scientists at NASA Langley Research Center are looking into different ways to protect astronauts, including the creation of new materials with better radiation shielding capabilities.