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
I can't wait for this new suit to be tested. Thank you for sharing ESA!
How much water is needed? This is for 'vessels' in space, right? How much water-containing foliage/'soil' would be needed to provide the same level of protection? Would it be possible to arrange racks of vertical-farming-like grow boxes to adequate depth? Is the radiation mostly solar, or is it from all around?
In Galaxy Quest the alians used hydrogel to travel through space from ship to planet for planet to ship.
Weird how I was thinking about this the other day with no motivating factors or media.
"wutahh"
Plomb…is the best… vs… Radiations…
Radiation is very high just now in my place!!!
What can I do???