Ozone to absorb Deep Space Radiation

[LePenguino]

Would it be feasible to have a spacecraft with a layer of enclosed ozone surrounding the crew module to protect the crew from the intense radiation in deep space? Why or why not?

[SargeRho]

No, because polyethylene does the job better, without the need for a separate pressure vessel, and without risking toxic gas entering the crew module.

[jfull]

You seem to be under the impression that ozone has fantastical radiation-blocking properties.

Ozone is certainly the most radiation-blocking gas in our atmosphere, but you'd need quite a bit of it to protect a spacecraft

[Scotius]

Yup, ozone is toxic - we don't want this stuff too close to our delicate lungs Also, it's a matter of volume - ozone layer in atmosphere works because it's relatively thick - a lot of molecules for space rays to bump into. Keeping enough gas on spaceship would be difficult and expensive.

[SargeRho]

Also, isn't the Ozone layer a *result* of oxygen being ionised by UV radiation, not the actual radiation shielding gas?

[andrewas]

Both - UV-C splits regular O2, the resulting single oxygens then react with other O2 molecules to form O3, which is more or less opaque to UV-B.

Which hints at why the OPs plan couldn't work, ozone is just part of the earth's shielding, you need the rest of the atmosphere and the magnetic shield to keep everything harmful out.