StemRad announced October 30 that an AstroRad radiation-protection vest flown aboard the International Space Station will go on display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s At Home in Space gallery in Washington.
According to the manufacturer, five space travelers used the vest during activities including work and sleep. Those evaluations examined practical use and comfort aboard the station.
The announcement distinguishes that garment from a separate AstroRad vest carried around the Moon on NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission. The Artemis I garment is displayed at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, the company said.
The Smithsonian exhibit therefore concerns an ISS-used artifact, rather than the same vest that traveled on Artemis I.
StemRad developed AstroRad with Lockheed Martin. The company’s announcement includes a statement attributed to museum curator Jennifer Levasseur describing the vest as an example of how station technology demonstrations can inform future deep-space exploration.
The display announcement does not establish that a new radiation experiment occurred October 30 or that the vest eliminates space-radiation risks. This report covers the announced museum placement, rather than independently validating the manufacturer’s separate claims about radiation-dose reductions.
Sources: StemRad’s October 30 Smithsonian exhibition announcement.