FASTRAD® Modules, discover all the functionalities:

Interface and Modeling

Create and handle 3D radiation models, import, export and modify entire STEP models

  • Framework: menus, toolbar buttons, property dialog boxes, hierarchy tree
  • 2D/3D viewer and easy object handling (rotation, translation, etc.)
  • Insertion of simple shapes (box, cylinder, cake, sphere, …)
  • Hollow out and merge operations on all shapes (including STEP) for creating complex shapes
  • Material definition interface with a database

 Sector analysis

Perform essential calculations by sector analysis (ray-tracing), calculate six face equivalent thickness, post-process results to optimize shielding

Calculation by sector analysis can be performed on any FASTRAD® model containing simple and complex shapes.

Ray-tracing calculation tool capabilities include:

  • Single or multi-environments definition
  • Estimation of various quantities : TID, TNID, current, custom
  • Isolated detectors or 2D/3D mappings
  • Two calculation methods : slant path or minimum path
  • Multi-threading option
  • Optimized and/or detailed post-processing file

 Monte Carlo calculations & Scripting module

FASTRAD® gives you the keys to the most precise tool, the Monte Carlo particle transport calculation. Both Forward and Reverse methods are available. This tool provides dose, flux and charge deposition outputs

The Monte Carlo particle transport is based on the tracking of particle interactions with matter, based on the interaction cross sections. It considers material composition and particle behavior, allowing to get a higher level of accuracy.  Calculation can be run on several threads (parallelization) to increase calculation speed.

The precision of the Forward Monte-Carlo tool can also be increased by adding the hadronic physics add-on. This allows for a better precision for the tracking of high energy protons and is compulsory for the tracking of heavy ions.

The scripting module allows to customize and optimize the use of FASTRAD® by interacting with the main FASTRAD® entities through scripts.

This module allows to perform calculations using a Forward Monte Carlo algorithm. Primary electrons, protons and photons as well as secondary electrons, positrons and photons can be considered with the standard tool. When the hadronic physics add-on in installed, other particles (heavy ions, neutrons, …) are also tracked.

Several sources of particles can be defined at the same time. A wide range of source geometries can be defined, based on the model geometry or from virtual shapes.

Particle trajectories can be visualized and interaction properties are displayed when a track is selected (Figure 4).

The 3D mapping module allows calculation of deposited energies, transmitted integral flux and associated errors in sensitive zones previously specified. With this tool, critical zones can easily be identified (Figure 5).

 Internal Charging

By using FASTRAD®, the same geometry used for the dose analysis can be used for the internal charging analysis. The Reverse Monte Carlo method allows to consider the real geometry of the spacecraft while maintaining a reasonable calculation time.

The 3D internal charging analysis in FASTRAD® relies on two types of simulation: Monte Carlo particle transport, for current density and charge deposition calculation and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), for potential and electric field calculation. For the latter, the two methods need to be coupled.

The calculation of the incident current density, by using the Reverse Monte Carlo method, allows to rapidly identify an element potentially sensitive to electrostatic discharge, like coaxial cables, PCB or connectors, among several units.

Identification of the most critical components among several units in the spacecraft.

Identification of the most critical components among several units in the spacecraft.

A surface mapping can be used to get the incident current density on a surface.

Incident current density on the PCB displayed by using a surface mapping.

Incident current density on the PCB displayed by using a surface mapping.

Point detectors can also be used, to get the incident current density at a specific location. The current density is estimated for a field of view of 180° on the external face on which the point detector is placed. This is only available by using the Reverse Monte Carlo method.

Radiation Protection

From low Earth orbit to space exploration missions, radiation stands out as a critical element to ensure the health and security of crews.

FASTRAD® is able to compute radiological quantities used to calculate radiation levels received by the body, tissue or specific organs. Hence, the equivalent dose, effective dose and many other radiation quantities defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and by the International Commission on Radiation Units and measurements (ICRU) can be estimated with FASTRAD® for any radiation environment in any geometric model.

The user can define different source types: single spectrum or a multi-ion source.

Transport of energetic particles – proton, electron, photon, neutron, positron, ions, alphas, deuton and triton – is performed with the Forward Monte Carlo method in FASTRAD®.

Figure 16 : Modeling of a human in a Martian habitat. In this cross section, the ground station is covered by a Martian regolith dome. FASTRAD® is able to simulate the transport of energetic particles coming from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and Solar Energetic Particles.

Figure 16 : Modeling of a human in a Martian habitat. In this cross section, the ground station is covered by a Martian regolith dome. FASTRAD® is able to simulate the transport of energetic particles coming from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and Solar Energetic Particles.


Figure 17 : FASTRAD® simulates the irradiation of the Martian habitat by solar energetic protons. The blue lines correspond to the trajectory of primary protons, the orange and yellow lines correspond to secondary neutrons and photons respectively.

Figure 17 : FASTRAD® simulates the irradiation of the Martian habitat by solar energetic protons. The blue lines correspond to the trajectory of primary protons, the orange and yellow lines correspond to secondary neutrons and photons respectively.


Figure 18: Modeling of the International Space Station, low Earth orbit mission. FASTRAD® is able to model the transport of energetic particles (trapped particles, GCR, solar particles) through the shielding of the space station and estimate the dose received by the crew.

Figure 18: Modeling of the International Space Station, low Earth orbit mission. FASTRAD® is able to model the transport of energetic particles (trapped particles, GCR, solar particles) through the shielding of the space station and estimate the dose received by the crew.

The goal of this functionality is to eventually optimize shielding to manage the risk of radiation on crews. The lifetime of a crewed mission can be designed to respect the ALARA approach (As Low As Reasonably Achievable). As an example, a Martian habitat has been mapped to estimate the effective equivalent dose received at different locations in the station.

Figure 21 : Mapping of the central module of the Martian habitat. Mappings allow to identify critical areas in terms of radiation related outputs (here the effective dose equivalent).

Figure 21 : Mapping of the central module of the Martian habitat. Mappings allow to identify critical areas in terms of radiation related outputs (here the effective dose equivalent).