What Melagen Labs University is
Melagen Labs University is a set of short, technical lessons on space radiation — what it is, where it comes from, and what it does to spacecraft and the people who fly on them. It’s written for engineers, mission designers, and technical buyers who need a working understanding of radiation risk, not a marketing pitch.
The current course, Space Radiation Foundations, is ten lessons long. Each lesson is a standalone page you can read in a few minutes, in order or on its own. There are no accounts, no progress tracking, and no quizzes — just the material.
10 lessons. Free to read, no account required.
Lesson 1 of Space Radiation Foundations: sorting particles from photons, and radiation from radioactive, before anything else
What Is Radiation, Really?
Lesson 1 of Space Radiation Foundations explains what makes radiation 'ionizing,' why particles and photons are both radiation, and why radiation is not the same thing as radioactive.
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Lesson 2 of Space Radiation Foundations: trapped particles, solar particle events, and galactic cosmic rays, and how they differ in origin, energy, and predictability
The Three Sources of Space Radiation
Lesson 2 of Space Radiation Foundations explains the three physically distinct sources of space radiation — trapped particles, solar particle events, and galactic cosmic rays — and how they differ in origin, energy range, and predictability.
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Lesson 3 of Space Radiation Foundations: what's trapped where and why — inner proton belt vs. outer electron belt, with an order-of-magnitude worked example
The Van Allen Belts
Lesson 3 of Space Radiation Foundations explains what's trapped in Earth's Van Allen belts, where, and why — the inner proton belt vs. the outer electron belt — with an order-of-magnitude worked example of belt particle energy vs. flux.
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Lesson 4 of Space Radiation Foundations: flares, CMEs, and solar particle events as distinct phenomena, the 11-year solar cycle, and the GCR-modulation paradox
The Sun as a Radiation Source
Lesson 4 of Space Radiation Foundations distinguishes solar flares, CMEs, and solar particle events, explains the 11-year solar cycle, and states the GCR-modulation paradox: solar maximum lowers galactic cosmic ray flux while raising SPE risk.
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Lesson 5 of Space Radiation Foundations: what GCRs are made of, why they're so hard to shield, and why they matter most beyond low Earth orbit
Galactic Cosmic Rays
Lesson 5 of Space Radiation Foundations explains what galactic cosmic rays are made of, why HZE ions are exceptionally hard to shield, and why GCR dose matters most for missions beyond low Earth orbit.
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Lesson 6 of Space Radiation Foundations: how the atmosphere and magnetic field shield against space radiation, why that protection fades with altitude and inclination, and what the South Atlantic Anomaly is
Why Earth Protects Us — and Orbits Don't
How the atmosphere and magnetic field shield against space radiation, why that protection fades with altitude and inclination, and what the South Atlantic Anomaly is.
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Lesson 7 of Space Radiation Foundations: rad, gray, sievert, rem, flux, fluence, and LET, sorted out for good
Radiation Units Without Tears
Lesson 7 of Space Radiation Foundations breaks down rad, gray, sievert, rem, flux, fluence, and LET, and shows how to convert between them with a fully worked example.
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Lesson 8 of Space Radiation Foundations: ionization damage and displacement damage, and why some radiation effects build up while others strike all at once
What Radiation Does to Stuff
Lesson 8 of Space Radiation Foundations introduces ionization damage and displacement damage in electronics, and previews why some radiation effects accumulate while single-event effects strike all at once.
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Lesson 9 of Space Radiation Foundations: three documented spacecraft failures, and the cause-to-cost pattern behind each one
A History of Radiation Failures in Space
Lesson 9 of Space Radiation Foundations walks through three documented spacecraft radiation failures — Anik E1/E2, Galaxy 15, and Mars Odyssey's MARIE instrument — to show how a radiation environment becomes an anomaly, and an anomaly becomes a mission cost.
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Lesson 10 of Space Radiation Foundations: comparing doses across the ISS, lunar missions, and Mars transit, and what acute vs. career radiation risk means in plain terms
Radiation and the Human Body in Space
Comparing radiation doses on the ISS, lunar missions, and Mars transit — and what acute vs. career risk means in plain terms.
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University lessons vs. Learn Articles
University lessons and Learn Articles are related but separate. Learn Articles are standalone explainers you can read in any order; University lessons are a structured sequence meant to be read start to finish. Both draw on the same underlying material — for example:
