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Space radiation consists of energetic protons and other heavier ions. During the International Space Station program, chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of astronauts have been analyzed to estimate received biological doses of space radiation. More specifically, pre-flight blood samples were exposed ex vivo to varying doses of gamma rays, while post-flight blood samples were collected shortly and several months after landing. Here, in a study of 43 crew-missions, we investigated whether individual radiosensitivity, as determined by the ex vivo dose–response of the pre-flight chromosome aberration rate (CAR), contributes to the prediction of the post-flight CAR incurred from the radiation exposure during missions. Random-effects Poisson regression was used to estimate subject-specific radiosensitivities from the preflight dose–response data, which were in turn used to predict post-flight CAR and subject-specific relative biological effectiveness (RBEs) between space radiation and gamma radiation. Covariates age, gender were also considered. Results indicate that there is predictive value in background CAR as well as radiosensitivity determined preflight for explaining individual differences in post-flight CAR over and above that which could be explained by BFO dose alone. The in vivo RBE for space radiation was estimated to be approximately 3 relative to the ex vivo dose response to gamma irradiation. In addition, pre-flight radiosensitivity tended to be higher for individuals having a higher background CAR, suggesting that individuals with greater radiosensitivity can be more sensitive to other environmental stressors encountered in daily life. We also noted that both background CAR and radiosensitivity tend to increase with age, although both are highly variable. Finally, we observed no significant difference between the observed CAR shortly after mission and at > 6 months post-mission.

Recently reported studies considering nonlinearity in the effects of low-dose space radiation have assumed a nontargeted mechanism. To date, few analyses have been performed to assess whether a nontargeted term is supported by the available data. The Harderian gland data from Alpen et al. (published in 1993 and 1994), and Chang et al. (2016) provide the most diversity of ions and energies in a tumor induction model, including multiple high-energy and charge particles. These data can be used to investigate various nonlinearity assumptions against a linear model, including nontargeted effects in the low-dose region or cell sterilization at high doses. In this work, generalized linear models were used with the log complement link function to analyze the binomial data from the studies independently and combined. While there was some evidence of nonlinearity that was best described by a cell-sterilization model, the linear model was adequate to describe the data. The current data do not support the addition of a nontargeted effects term in any model. While adequate data are available in the low-dose region (

It is a delicate task to accurately assess the impact of solar particle events (SPEs) on future long-duration human exploration missions. In the past, researchers have used several functional forms to fit satellite data for radiation exposure estimation. In this work we present a segmental power law interpolating algorithm to stream satellite data and get time series of proton spectra, which can be used to derive dosimetric quantities for any short period during which a single SPE or multiple SPEs occur. Directly using the corrected High Energy Proton and Alpha Detector fluxes of GOES, this method interpolates the intensity spectrum of a typical SPE to hundreds of MeV and extrapolates to the GeV level as long as sufficient particles are recorded in the high-energy sensors. The high-energy branch of the May 2012 SPE is consistent with the Band functional fitting, which is calibrated with ground level measurement. Modeling simulations indicate that the input spectrum of an SPE beyond 100 MeV is the major contributor for dose estimation behind the normal shielding thickness of spacecraft. Applying this method to the three SPEs that occurred in 2012 generates results consistent with two sets of in situ measurements, demonstrating that this approach could be a way to perform real-time dose estimation. This work also indicates that the galactic cosmic ray dose rate is important for accurately modeling the temporal profile of radiation exposure during an SPE.

The nominal radiation environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), especially for the International Space Station (ISS), is dominated by two sources. The first is galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) which is modulated by the interplanetary and the Earth‟s magnetic fields and the second is trapped radiation in the form of the Van Allen Belts. The trapped radiation inside the ISS is mostly due to protons of the inner radiation belt. In addition to these sources sporadic Solar Particle Events (SPEs) can produce high doses inside and outside the ISS, depending on the intensity and energy spectrum of the event. Before 2017, the last SPE observed inside the ISS with relevant radiation detectors occurred in May 2012. Even though we are currently approaching the next solar minimum, an SPE was observed in September 2017, which was a) a Ground Level Enhancement (GLE 72); b) measured with various radiation detector systems on-board the ISS and c) observed on the surface of Mars. This paper gives an overview of the 10 September 2017 SPE measured with the DOSIS 3D-DOSTEL and the ISS-RAD (Radiation Assessment Detector) instruments, both located at this time in close proximity to each other in the Columbus Laboratory of the ISS. The additional dose received during the SPE, was 146.2 µGy in Si as measured by ISS-RAD and 67.8 µGy in Si as measured by the DOSIS 3D-DOSTEL instruments. In comparison, the dose measured on the surface of Mars with the MSL-RAD (Mars Science Laboratory) instrument accounted to 418 µGy in Si.

We investigate energy measurements in Timepix hybrid detectors in hole collection mode above pixel input energy depositions of about 2.2 MeV or 600,000 electron/hole pairs in Silicon. Measurement of the detector response well above this regime is important for our application measuring the heavy ion exposure of NASA astronauts. We find that high input charges produce a double pulse structure in the Timepix front end which creates a taxonomy of different clusters which are observed at accelerators, but not in typical operation on orbit. We investigate the LET response of the Timepix to different heavy ion species and find that for a given polar angle the so called 'volcano effect' can be compensated with a simple power law model. We also characterize the pixel response of the Timepix using mono-energetic stopping protons and derive a per pixel calibration method for correction of the pixel response up to about 8 MeV. We conclude that with an appropriate calibration procedure the Timepix can correctly measure the LET values in excess of 500 keV μm-1 in Silicon for tracks with a polar angle exceeding 60o, corresponding to the entirety of the cosmic ray spectrum up to Nickel.

A number of small, single element radiation detectors, employing the CERN-based Medipix2 Collaboration׳s Timepix Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) coupled to a specially modified version of the USB-Lite interface for that ASIC provided by the Institute for Experimental and Applied Physics (IEAP) at the Czech Technical University in Prague, have been developed at the University of Houston and NASA Johnson Space Center. These detectors, officially designated by NASA as Radiation Environment Monitors (REMs), were deployed aboard the International Space Station in late 2012. Six REM units are currently operating on Station Support Computers (SSCs) and returning data on a daily basis. The associated data acquisition software on the SSCs provides both automated data collection and transfer, as well as algorithms to handle adjustment of acquisition rates and recovery and restart of the acquisition software. A suite of ground software analysis tools has been developed to allow rapid analysis of the data and provides a ROOT-based framework for extending data analysis capabilities.

The natural radiation environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) differs significantly in composition and energy from that found on Earth. The space radiation field consists of high energetic protons and heavier ions from Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR), as well as of protons and electrons trapped in the Earth’s radiation belts (Van Allen belts). Protons and some heavier particles ejected in occasional Solar Particle Events (SPEs) might in addition contribute to the radiation exposure in LEO. All sources of radiation are modulated by the solar cycle. During solar maximum conditions SPEs occur more frequently with higher particle intensities. Since the radiation exposure in LEO exceeds exposure limits for radiation workers on Earth, the radiation exposure in space has been recognized as a main health concern for humans in space missions from the beginning of the space age on. Monitoring of the radiation environment is therefore an inevitable task in human spaceflight. Since mission profiles are always different and each spacecraft provides different shielding distributions, modifying the radiation environment measurements needs to be done for each mission. The experiments “Dose Distribution within the ISS (DOSIS)” (2009–2011) and “Dose Distribution within the ISS 3D (DOSIS 3D)” (2012–onwards) onboard the Columbus Laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS) use a detector suite consisting of two silicon detector telescopes (DOSimetry TELescope = DOSTEL) and passive radiation detector packages (PDP) and are designed for the determination of the temporal and spatial variation of the radiation environment. With the DOSTEL instruments’ changes of the radiation composition and the related exposure levels in dependence of the solar cycle, the altitude of the ISS and the influence of attitude changes of the ISS during Space Shuttle dockings inside the Columbus Laboratory have been monitored. The absorbed doses measured at the end of May 2016 reached up to 286 μGy/day with dose equivalent values of 647 μSv/day.

The radiation environment encountered in space differs in nature from that on Earth, consisting mostly of highly energetic ions from protons up to iron, resulting in radiation levels far exceeding the ones present on Earth for occupational radiation workers. Since the beginning of the space era, the radiation exposure during space missions has been monitored with various active and passive radiation instruments. Also onboard the International Space Station (ISS), a number of area monitoring devices provide data related to the spatial and temporal variation of the radiation field in and outside the ISS. The aim of the DOSIS (2009–2011) and the DOSIS 3D (2012–ongoing) experiments was and is to measure the radiation environment within the European Columbus Laboratory of the ISS. These measurements are, on the one hand, performed with passive radiation detectors mounted at 11 locations within Columbus for the determination of the spatial distribution of the radiation field parameters and, on the other, with two active radiation detectors mounted at a fixed position inside Columbus for the determination of the temporal variation of the radiation field parameters. Data measured with passive radiation detectors showed that the absorbed dose values inside the Columbus Laboratory follow a pattern, based on the local shielding configuration of the radiation detectors, with minimum dose values observed in the year 2010 of 195–270 lGy/day and maximum values observed in the year 2012 with values ranging from 260 to 360 lGy/day. The absorbed dose is modulated by (a) the variation in solar activity and (b) the changes in ISS altitude.

Most accelerator-based space radiation experiments have been performed with single ion beams at fixed energies. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species with a continuous range of energies. Due to recent developments in beam switching technology implemented at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), it is now possible to rapidly switch ion species and energies, allowing for the possibility to more realistically simulate the actual radiation environment found in space. The present paper discusses a variety of issues related to implementation of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) simulation at NSRL, especially for experiments in radiobiology. Advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to developing a GCR simulator are presented. In addition, issues common to both GCR simulation and single beam experiments are compared to issues unique to GCR simulation studies. A set of conclusions is presented as well as a discussion of the technical implementation of GCR simulation.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) performs organ dosimetry and risk assessment for astronauts using model-normalized measurements of the radiation fields encountered in space. To determine the radiation fields in an organ or tissue of interest, particle transport calculations are performed using self-shielding distributions generated with the computer program CAMERA to represent the human body. CAMERA mathematically traces linear rays (or path lengths) through the computerized anatomical man (CAM) phantom, a computational stylized model developed in the early 1970s with organ and body profiles modeled using solid shapes and scaled to represent the body morphometry of the 1950 50th percentile (PCTL) Air Force male. With the increasing use of voxel phantoms in medical and health physics, a conversion from a mathematical-based to a voxel-based ray-tracing algorithm is warranted. In this study, the voxel-based ray tracer (VoBRaT) is introduced to ray trace voxel phantoms using a modified version of the algorithm first proposed by Siddon (1985 Med. Phys. 12 252-5). After validation, VoBRAT is used to evaluate variations in body self-shielding distributions for NASA phantoms and six University of Florida (UF) hybrid phantoms, scaled to represent the 5th, 50th, and 95th PCTL male and female astronaut body morphometries, which have changed considerably since the inception of CAM. These body self-shielding distributions are used to generate organ dose equivalents and effective doses for five commonly evaluated space radiation environments. It is found that dosimetric differences among the phantoms are greatest for soft radiation spectra and light vehicular shielding.

CR-39 PNTDs (Plastic Nuclear Track Detectors) have been widely used in radiation research for many years. Experiments with long-term exposure during space mission LDEF (Long Duration Exposure Facility, 5.7 years), EUROMIR95 (∼ 6 months), Matroshka-1 (616 days), Matroshka-2 (367 days) and ISS-Expeditions (>∼ 6 months) indicate that fading of CR-39 sensitivity exists and the longer the exposure time, the more the fading. Due to fading the values of etch rate ratio and LET (Linear Energy Transfer) as well as the radiation quantities were smaller than expected. In the past, there was no appropriate method and formula which could be used to deal with the sensitivity fading of CR-39 detectors, so all the results obtained from CR-39 exposed for long time are questionable. To solve CR-39 fading problem for ISS-Expedition and Matroshka work, a study on the sensitivity fading of CR-39 was conducted and a practical method was developed. The method is based on the internal LET calibration using GCR events identified as iron peak nuclei at ∼ 1 GeV/n (∼100 keV/μm in CR-39), combined with identification of the particles' charge using the effective etch rate ratio and fractional etch rate gradient. A correction formula for etch rate ratio as a function of exposure time was found using data of ISS-Expedition and Matroshka exposures. This paper introduces the correction method for the fading of CR-39 sensitivity and the method to determine particles' charge using CR-39 detectors, presents the correction formula for the sensitivity fading of CR-39 and compares the radiation quantities obtained without and with fading correction for CR-39 sensitivity for recent ISS-Expedition and Matroshka space missions.

Radiation impact to astronauts depends on the particles’ linear energy transfer (LET) and is dominated by high LET radiation. Radiation risk experienced by astronauts can be determined with the radiation LET spectrum measured and the risk response function obtained from radiobiology. Systematical measurement of the space radiation is an important part for the research on the impact of radiation to astronauts and to make the radiation ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable). For NASA space missions at low Earth orbit (LEO), the active dosimeter used for all LET is the tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and the passive dosimeters used for the astronauts and for the monitored areas are the combination of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) for high LET and thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter (OSLDs) for low LET. TEPC, CR-39 PNTDs and TLDs/OSLDs were used to measure the radiation during STS-121 space mission. LET spectra and radiation quantities were obtained with active and passive dosimeters. This paper will introduce the physical principles for TEPC and CR-39 detectors, the LET spectrum method for radiation measurement using CR-39 detectors and TEPC, and will present and compare the radiation LET spectra and quantities measured with TEPC, CR-39 PNTDs and TLDs/OSLDs.

Research indicates that the impact to human tissues from radiation exposure is strongly related to the LET (linear energy transfer) of the particles and particles with high LET ( ⩾ 5 KeV / μ m water) dominate the damage. High LET radiation in LEO (low Earth orbit) is composed mainly of galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar energetic particles, particles trapped in the SAA (South Atlantic Anomaly), and albedo neutrons and protons scattered from the Earth's atmosphere. So far the active personal dosimeters are not available and the best passive personal dosimeters currently applied to the radiation assessment for astronauts are CR-39 detectors (for the high LET part) in combination with thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs) or optically stimulated luminescence detectors) (OSLDs) (for the low LET part). LET spectra for radiation in LEO were determined with CR-39. This paper introduces the operational principles for CR-39 detectors, describes the method of LET spectrum using CR-39 and presents the results measured with CR-39 and TEPC (tissue equivalent proportional counter) for space mission ISS-Expedition 2, STS-108, STS-112, ISS-7S, STS-114 and STS-121.

Radiation in low Earth orbit (LEO) is mainly from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR), solar energetic particles and particles in South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). These particles’ radiation impact to astronauts depends strongly on the particles’ linear energy transfer (LET) and is dominated by high LET radiation. It is important to investigate the LET spectrum for the radiation field and the influence of radiation on astronauts. At present, the best active dosimeters used for all LET are the tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and silicon detectors; the best passive dosimeters are thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) or optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) for low LET and CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) for high LET. TEPC, CR-39 PNTDs, TLDs and OSLDs were used to investigate the radiation for space mission Expedition 12 (ISS-11S) in LEO. LET spectra and radiation quantities (fluence, absorbed dose, dose equivalent and quality factor) were measured for the mission with these different dosimeters. This paper introduces the operation principles for these dosimeters, describes the method to combine the results measured by CR-39 PNTDs and TLDs/OSLDs, presents the experimental LET spectra and the radiation quantities.

High LET (linear energy transfer) radiation is the main contributor to the radiation field in low Earth orbit (LEO) in terms of dose equivalent. CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) can measure the LET spectrum and charge spectrum for the complicated radiation field in space. Previous research indicated that the sensitivity of CR-39 is different for CR-39 PNTDs working in different oxygen environments. LET calibration for CR-39 detectors in different oxygen environments is needed. Almost all the previous LET calibration work was carried out for CR-39 detectors in good-oxygen condition, LET calibration work for CR-39 in poor-oxygen condition has not been conducted until our work. Systematic LET calibrations were carried out by JSC-SRAG (Space Radiation Analysis Group) for CR-39 detectors working in different oxygen environments and abundant results of LET calibrations were obtained. This paper introduces the method for CR-39 LET calibration, presents and discusses the calibration results and some applications.

The low-Earth orbit (LEO) radiation environment has been directly observed by the Intra-Vehicular (IV) and Extra-Vehicular (EV) Charged Particle Directional Spectrometers (CPDS) aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The EV instrument is mounted on the S0 truss of the ISS and consists of three separate silicon detector telescopes which are oriented in different directions. The IV instrument is a single silicon detector telescope located inside the US Laboratory module of the ISS. We report on the current state of the data analysis for these instruments, which includes the proton stopping particle spectrum, relative carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen ion (CNO) abundances, and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra.

The linear energy transfer (LET) of particles in low Earth orbit (LEO) is extended from ∼0.2 to ∼1000 keV/μm water. The best passive dosimeters for radiation measurement are thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) or optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) for low LET and CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) for high LET. Radiation quantities (fluence, absorbed dose, dose equivalent and quality factor) were measured with passive dosimeters composed of TLDs/OSLDs and CR-39 PNTDs for the STS-114 mission. This paper introduces the operation principles for TLDs/OSLDs and CR-39 PNTDs, describes the method to combine the results measured by TLDs/OSLDs and CR-39 PNTDs, and presents the results measured by different dosimeters for different LET bands and that combined for all LET.

Progress in the development of high-performance semiconductor radiation imaging pixel detectors based on technologies developed for use in high-energy physics applications has enabled the development of a completely new generation of compact low-power active dosimeters and area monitors for use in space radiation environments. Such detectors can provide real-time information concerning radiation exposure, along with detailed analysis of the individual particles incident on the active medium. Recent results from the deployment of detectors based on the Timepix from the CERN-based Medipix2 Collaboration on the International Space Station (ISS) are reviewed, along with a glimpse of developments to come. Preliminary results from Orion MPCV Exploration Flight Test 1 are also presented.

Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) nuclei play an important role in the radiation exposure of humans in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). CR-39 nuclear track detectors have been successfully used to measure the charge spectrum of cosmic rays and related radiation dose in LEO. The method for measuring charge spectrum is based on the analysis of the etch rate gradient and effective etch rate ratio, along with calibration by high-energy heavy ions at particle accelerators. Here we report our results obtained in the interior of spacecraft for the STS-108, STS-112 and ISS-7S missions. Comparisons have been made between experimental and theoretical predictions and show good agreement.

Space radiation measurements were made on the International Space Station (ISS) with the Bulgarian Liulin-E094 instrument, which contains 4 Mobile Dosimetry Units (MDU), and the NASA Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) during the time period May 11–July 26, 2001. In the time span 11–27 May 2001 four MDUs were placed at fixed locations: one unit (MDU #1) in the ISS “Unity” Node-1 and three (MDU #2–#4) units were located in the US Laboratory module. The MDU #2 and the TEPC were located in the US Laboratory module Human Research Facility (rack #1, port side). In this paper we discuss the flight observed asymmetries in different detectors on the ascending and descending parts of the ISS orbits. The differences are described by the shielding differences generated by different geometry between the predominating eastward drifting protons and the orientation and placement of the MDUs within the ISS. Shielding distributions were generated for the combined ISS and detector shielding models. The AP8MAX and AE8MAX trapped radiation models were used to compute the daily absorbed dose for the five detectors and are compared with the flight measurements. In addition, the trapped proton incident spectra inside of ISS were calculated using calibration curve of MDU obtained during the tests with protons at the Louvain-la-Neuve cyclotron facility. The energy of incident spectra maximums were analyzed against L value for the individual passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly.

On October 16, 2012 five active radiation detectors employing the Timepix version of the technology developed by the CERN-based Medipix2 Collaboration were deployed on-board the International Space Station (ISS) using simple USB interfaces to the existing ISS laptops for power, control and readout. These devices successfully demonstrated the capabilities of this technology by providing reliable dose and dose-equivalent information based on a track-by-track analysis. Several issues were identified and solutions to adjust for them have been included in the analysis. These include items such as the need to identify nuclear interactions in the Silicon sensor, and to separate penetrating from stopping tracks. The wide effective range in fluence and particle type of this technology was also verified through the highest rates seen during the South Atlantic Anomaly passes and the heavy ions nominally seen in the Galactic Cosmic Rays. Corrections for detector response saturation effects were also successfully implemented as verified by reference to ground-based accelerator data taken at the Heavy-Ion Medical Accelerator Center (HIMAC) facility at the National Institute for Radiological Sciences in Japan, and at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Flight hardware has been produced that will be flown on the first launch of the new Orion spacecraft, and flight hardware development is ongoing to accommodate the next generation of this technology as a baseline for radiation monitoring and dosimetry on future operational manned missions.

NASA currently uses one-dimensional deterministic transport to generate values of the organ dose equivalent needed to calculate stochastic radiation risk following crew space exposures. In this study, organ absorbed doses and dose equivalents are calculated for 50th percentile male and female astronaut phantoms using both the NASA High Charge and Energy Transport Code to perform one-dimensional deterministic transport and the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System to perform three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport. Two measures of radiation risk, effective dose and risk of exposure-induced death (REID) are calculated using the organ dose equivalents resulting from the two methods of radiation transport. For the space radiation environments and simplified shielding configurations considered, small differences (

Current plans call for two separate missions to deploy Medipix2-Technology-based detectors in space for the first time.1 2 NASA is planning to deploy 5 or more Radiation Environment Monitor (REM) units, each of which will contain a Medipix2 TimePix-based detector assembly, on the International Space Station (ISS) during the spring of 2012 as part of a Station Detailed Test Objective (SDTO). These units will be mounted on a single 8-layer printed circuit board containing a USB-based interface. The entire unit will have the form of a typical USB flash-memory device, and the USB interface will provide interactive control and data readout as well as the operating power. Each of the units will be separately plugged into one of the 21 Lenovo® T-61B laptops that are currently onboard the ISS. The purpose of this test is to acquire initial on-orbit data to allow feedback into the design of the next generation of Medipix device, which is intended to support the development of a portable, standalone, wireless and battery-powered personal space radiation dosimeter. The second mission, LUCID (Langton Ultimate Cosmic ray Intensity Detector) is part of a UK outreach project being conducted by the Simon Langton School for Boys in Canterbury, UK. A small instrument containing 5 detector assemblies, also containing the TimePix versions of the Medipix2 technology will be deployed on the upcoming UK TechDemoSat 1 mission, also planned for launch in 2012. These deployments have many similar embedded control software and ground-based analysis software requirements.

Computational phantoms serve an important role in organ dosimetry and risk assessment performed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A previous study investigated the impact on organ dose equivalents and effective doses from the use of the University of Florida hybrid adult male (UFHADM) and adult female (UFHADF) phantoms at differing height and weight percentiles versus those given by the two existing NASA phantoms, the computerized anatomical man (CAM) and female (CAF) (Bahadori et al 2011 Phys. Med. Biol. 56 1671–94). In the present study, the UFHADM and UFHADF phantoms of different body sizes were further altered to incorporate the effects of microgravity. Body self-shielding distributions are generated using the voxel-based ray tracer (VoBRaT), and the results are combined with depth dose data from the NASA codes BRYNTRN and HZETRN to yield organ dose equivalents and their rates for a variety of space radiation environments. It is found that while organ dose equivalents are indeed altered by the physiological effects of microgravity, the magnitude of the change in overall risk (indicated by the effective dose) is minimal for the spectra and simplified shielding configurations considered. The results also indicate, however, that UFHADM and UFHADF could be useful in designing dose reduction strategies through optimized positioning of an astronaut during encounters with solar particle events.

On 16 October 2012, five active radiation detectors (referred to by NASA as Radiation Environment Monitors, or REMs) employing the Timepix version of the technology developed by the CERN-based Medipix2 Collaboration were deployed on-board the International Space Station (ISS) using simple USB interfaces to the existing ISS laptops for power, control and readout [ 1– 3]. These devices successfully demonstrated the capabilities of this technology by providing reliable dose and dose-equivalent information based on a track-by-track analysis. Figure 1 shows a sample comparison of the output from all five devices with respect to the on-board tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) for both absorbed dose (top) and dose-equivalent (bottom) as defined in NCRP 142. The lower graph in each set is the TEPC. Several issues were identified and solutions to adjust for them have been included in the analysis. These include items such as the need to identify nuclear interactions in the silicon sensor layer, and to separate penetrating from stopping tracks. The wide effective range in fluence and particle type of this technology was also verified through the highest rates seen during the South Atlantic Anomaly passes and the heavy ions nominally seen in the Galactic Cosmic Rays. Corrections for detector response saturation effects were also successfully implemented as verified by reference to ground-based accelerator data taken at the Heavy-Ion Medical Accelerator Center (HIMAC) facility at the National Institute for Radiological Sciences in Japan, and at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Flight hardware has been produced that will be flown on the first launch of the new Orion spacecraft, and flight hardware development is ongoing to accommodate the next generation of this technology as a baseline for radiation monitoring and dosimetry on future operational manned missions. Fig 1.Five ISS REM units compared with ISS IVTEPC in absorbed dose (a) and dose-equivalent (b).

The radiation field in low Earth orbit (LEO) and deep space is complicated. The radiation impact on astronauts depends strongly on the particles’ linear energy transfer (LET) and is dominated by high LET radiation. Radiation risk is a key concern for human space flight and can be estimated with radiation LET spectra measured for the different organs of an astronaut phantom. At present the best passive personal dosimeters used for astronauts are thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) for low LET and CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) for high LET. CR-39 PNTDs, TLDs and OSLDs were used for the MATROSHKA-1 experiment to measure radiation experienced by astronauts outside the international space station (ISS). LET spectra and radiation field quantities (differential and integral fluence, absorbed dose and dose equivalent) were measured for the different organs and skin locations of the MAROSHKA phantom using CR-39 PNTDs and TLDs. The spectra and results can be used to determine the radiation quantities for astronaut's extra vehicular activity (EVA) and for the further in-depth study of the radiation risk for astronauts. Sensitivity fading of CR-39 detectors was observed for the MATROSHKA experiment and a practical method was developed to correct it. This paper presents the radiation LET spectra measured with CR-39 PNTDs and the total radiation quantities combined from results measured with CR-39 PNTDs and TLDs.

The International Space Station (ISS) and the earlier station MIR provided the proving ground for future human long-duration space activity. A recent European Space Agency study recommended “…Measurement campaigns on the ISS form the ideal tool for experimental validation of radiation environment models, of transport code algorithms, and reaction cross sections.” Indeed, prior measurements on Shuttle have provided vital information impacting both environment model and transport code development by requiring dynamic models of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment. Recent studies using CAD models of the ISS 7A configuration with TLD (thermo-luminescent detector) area monitors demonstrated that computational dosimetry requires environmental models with accurate non-isotropic as well as dynamic behavior, detailed information on rack loading, and an accurate 6-degree-of-freedom description of the ISS trajectory. The ISS model is now configured for 11A and uses non-isotropic and dynamic geomagnetic transmission and trapped proton models. The ISS 11A is instrumented with both passive and active dosimetric devices. ISS 11A and LEO model validation is an important step in preparation of the design and validation of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) under the Constellation program.

The purpose of this study is to use NASA radiation transport codes to compare astronaut organ dose equivalents resulting from solar particle events (SPE), geomagnetically trapped protons, and free-space galactic cosmic rays (GCR) using phantom models representing Earth-based and microgravity-based anthropometry and positioning. Methods: The Univer sity of Florida hybrid adult phantoms were scaled to represent male and female astronauts with 5th, 50th, and 95th percentile heights and weights as measured on Earth. Another set of scaled phantoms, incorporating microgravity-induced changes, such as spinal lengthening, leg volume loss, and the assumption of the neutral body position, was also created. A ray-tracer was created and used to generate body self-shielding distributions for dose points within a voxelized phantom under isotropic irradiation conditions, which closely approximates the free-space radiation environment. Simplified external shielding consisting of an aluminum spherical shell was used to consider the influence of a spacesuit or shielding of a hull. These distributions were combined with depth dose distributions generated from the NASA radiation transport codes BRYNTRN (SPE and trapped protons) and HZETRN (GCR) to yield dose equivalent. Many points were sampled per organ. Results: The organ dos e equivalent rates were on the order of 1.5-2.5 mSv per day for GCR (1977 solar minimum) and 0.4-0.8 mSv per day for trapped proton irradiation with shielding of 2 g cm-2 aluminum equivalent. The organ dose equivalents for SPE irradiation varied considerably, with the skin and eye lens having the highest organ dose equivalents and deep-seated organs, such as the bladder, liver, and stomach having the lowest. Conclus ions: The greatest differences between the Earth-based and microgravity-based phantoms are observed for smaller ray thicknesses, since the most drastic changes involved limb repositioning and not overall phantom size. Improved self-shielding models reduce the overall uncertainty in organ dosimetry for mission-risk projections and assessments for astronauts