Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “COSMIC RADIATION”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

A study of cosmic rays on the artificial moon satellites Luna-11 and Luna-12

In the period from the end of August 1966 to January 1967 the primary cosmic radiation fluxes beyond the terrestrial magnetosphere were measured by means of the equipment mounted on the satellites Luna-11 and Luna-12. The altitude dependence of cosmic rays near the lunar surface as well as the intensity of protons and electrons of solar origin in the moon's vicinity were determined. The correlation of proton intensity with the parameters characterizing the solar and geomagnetic activities and the specific features of the angular distribution of the proton flux as revealed during measurements are given. Data on electron fluxes studied on September 1 and 8, 1966, when short term increases in the electron intensity were observed are included.

Grigorov, N. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Cosmic-ray abundances of elements with atomic number 26 less than or equal to 40 measured on HEAO 3

Individual elements in the cosmic radiation of even atomic number (Z) in the interval 26-40 have been resolved and their relative abundances measured. The results are inconsistent with a cosmic-ray source whose composition in this charge interval is dominated by r-process nucleosynthesis. The ratios of cosmic-ray source abundances to solar system abundances in this interval follow the same general correlation with first ionization potential as for the lighter elements, although there are deviations in detail.

Binns, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Overview of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR)

The SuperSonic Transport (SST) development program within the US was based at the Langley Research Center as was the Apollo radiation testing facility (Space Radiation Effects Laboratory) with associated radiation research groups. It was natural for the issues of the SST to be first recognized by this unique combination of research programs. With a re-examination of the technologies for commercial supersonic flight and the possible development of a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT), the remaining issues of the SST required resolution. It was the progress of SST radiation exposure research program founded by T. Foelsche at the Langley Research Center and the identified remaining issues after that project over twenty-five years ago which became the launch point of the current atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) research project. Added emphasis to the need for reassessment of atmospheric radiation resulted from the major lowering of the recommended occupational exposure limits, the inclusion of aircrew as radiation workers, and the recognition of civil aircrew as a major source of occupational exposures. Furthermore, the work of Ferenc Hajnal of the Environmental Measurements Laboratory brought greater focus to the uncertainties in the neutron flux at high altitudes. A re-examination of the issues involved was committed at the Langley Research Center and by the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP). As a result of the NCRP review, a new flight package was assembled and flown during solar minimum at which time the galactic cosmic radiation is at a maximum (June 1997). The present workshop is the initial analysis of the new data from that flight. The present paper is an overview of the status of knowledge of atmospheric ionizing radiations. We will re-examine the exposures of the world population and examine the context of aircrew exposures with implications for the results of the present research. A condensed version of this report was given at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the NCRP with proceedings published in the journal of Health Physics.

Wilson, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Radiation Transport Properties of Potential In Situ-Developed Regolith-Epoxy Materials for Martian Habitats

Mission crews in space outside the Earth s magnetic field will be exposed to high energy heavy charged particles in the galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). These highly ionizing particles will be a source of radiation risk to crews on extended missions to the Moon and Mars, and the biological effects of and countermeasures to the GCR have to be investigated as part of the planning of exploration-class missions. While it is impractical to shield spacecraft and planetary habitats against the entire GCR spectrum, biological and physical studies indicate that relatively modest amounts of shielding are effective at reducing the radiation dose. However, nuclear fragmentation in the shielding materials produces highly penetrating secondary particles, which complicates the problem: in some cases, some shielding is worse than none at all. Therefore the radiation transport properties of potential shielding materials need to be carefully investigated. One intriguing option for a Mars mission is the use of material from the Martian surface, in combination with chemicals carried from Earth and/or fabricated from elements found in the Martian atmosphere, to construct crew habitats. We have measured the transmission properties of epoxy-Martian regolith composites with respect to heavy charged particles characteristic of the GCR ions which bombard the Martian surface. The composites were prepared at NASA Langley Research Center using simulated Martian regolith, in the process also evaluating fabrication methods which could lead to technologies for in situ fabrication on Mars. Initial evaluation of the radiation shielding properties is made using radiation transport models developed at NASA-LaRC, and the results of these calculations are used to select the composites with the most favorable radiation transmission properties. These candidates are then evaluated at particle accelerators which produce beams of heavy charged particles representative in energy and charge of the radiation at the surface of Mars. The ultimate objective is to develop the models into a design tool for use by mission planners, flight surgeons and radiation health specialists.

Miller, Jack↗
NASA NTRS2021

Machine Learning Models to Predict Cognitive Impairment of Rodents Subjected to Space Radiation

This research uses machine-learned computational analyses to predict the cognitive performance impairment of rats induced by irradiation. The experimental data in the analyses is from a rodent model exposed to ≤ 15 cGy of individual Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) ions: 4He, 16O, 28Si, 48Ti, or 56Fe, expected for a Lunar or Mars mission. This work investigates rats at a subject-based level and uses performance scores taken before irradiation to predict impairment in Attentional Set-shifting (ATSET) data post-irradiation. Here, the worst performing rats of the control group define the impairment thresholds based on population analyses via cumulative distribution functions, leading to the labeling of impairment for each subject. A significant finding is the exhibition of a dose-dependent increasing probability of impairment for 1 to 10 cGy of 28Si or 56Fe in the Simple Discrimination (SD) stage of the ATSET, and for 1 to 10 cGy of 56Fe in the Compound Discrimination (CD) stage. On a subject-based level, implementing Machine Learning (ML) classifiers such as the Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, and Artificial Neural Networks identifies rats that have a higher tendency for impairment after GCR exposure. The algorithms employ the experimental prescreenperformance scores as multidimensional input features to predict each rodent’s susceptibility to cognitive impairment due to space radiation exposure. The receiver operating characteristic and the precision-recall curves of the ML models show a better prediction of impairment when 56Feis the ion in question in both SD and CD stages. They, however, do not depict impairment due to 4Hein SD and 28Siin CD, suggesting no dose-dependent impairment response in these cases. One key finding of our study is that prescreen performance scores can be used to predict the ATSET performance impairments. This result is significant to crewed space missions as it supports the potential of predicting an astronaut’s impairment in a specific task before spaceflight through the implementation of appropriately trained ML tools. Future research can focus on constructing ML ensemble methods to integrate the findings from the methodologies implemented in this study for morerobust predictionsof cognitive decrements due to space radiation exposure.

space radiation↗
NASA NTRS1975

Apollo light flash investigations

The visual phenomenon of light flashes resulting from high energy, heavy cosmic rays penetrating the command module structure and crewmembers' eyes is investigated. Light flash events observed during dedicated sessions on Apollo 15, 16, 17 are described along with a Monte Carlo simulation of the exposure of an astronaut to cosmic radiation during a mission. Results of the Apollo Light Flash Moving Emulsion Detector experiment developed for Apollo 16 and 17 to obtain a direct record of incident cosmic ray particles are correlated with crewmembers' reports of light flashes.

W. Zachary Osborne↗
NASA NTRS1997

Ultra Heavy Ion Collector (UHIC)

The purpose of this final report is to study the propagation of heavy nuclei in cosmic radiation. Topics include: Mass Distributions of Fragments from the Interactions of 600 MeV/n Silver Nuclei; Charge-pickup by Heavy Relativistic Nuclei; Fragmentation and Propagation Heavy UH Cosmic Ray Nuclei; Nuclear Fragmentation Parameters Needed for Interpretation of Observed Fluxes of UH Cosmic Ray Nuclei; Fragmentation and Electromagnetic Dissociation of 10.6 GeV/nucleon (197) Au Nuclei; Nuclear Interaction Cross Sections for UltraHeavy Nuclei; The Charge-Changing Fragmentation of 10.6 GeV/nucleon 197 Au Nuclei; Fragmentation Cross Sections of Relativistic 84/36 Kr and 109/47 Ag Nuclei in Targets from Hydrogen to Lead; Mission Concept for the Study of Ultraheavy Galactic Cosmic Rays; and Propagation of the Heaviest UH - Cosmic Ray Nuclei.

Stone, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Evaluation of 2 possible further developments of the UK in-flight radiation warning meter for SSTS

A mass reduction of the moderator and the response to the nucleon flux, responsible for the tissue-star component of the total-dose equivalent rate using a high atomic number material, are discussed. Radiation situations at SST cruising altitudes (approximately 20 km) due to solar proton flares were simulated in the stratosphere and on the ground. Actual stratospheric situations due to galactic cosmic radiation with a limited range of quality factor values (2-4) were encountered during slow ascents by balloons to 36 km. Synthetic situations obtained from high and low energy acclerator radiations were used to obtain radiation distributions having a larger range of quality factor values (11/2-9) than experienced in the stratosphere. The measurements made in these simulations related to the directly ionizing, neutron and tissue-star components of dose-equivalent rate. Due to the restricted range of neutron spectra encountered in the stratosphere, a significant mass reduction of the moderator by 4 kg was made, with the moderator clad with cadmium or some other slow neutron absorber.

Wilson, I. J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Access Accommodation Study

A new mission payload concept for the International Space Station (ISS) called ACCESS (Advanced Cosmic-ray Composition Experiment for Space Station) has undergone a preliminary study which is now complete, and its results are published here. The mission holds the promise for answering many of the outstanding astrophysical questions associated with Galactic cosmic rays and their role in our Galaxy. ACCESS science goals include measurement of the rare ultra-high energy and ultra-heavy components of cosmic radiation which have not been analyzed previously above the Earth's atmosphere. The critical resource made available by the ISS is collection factor (area x exposure time), as much as 10,000 square meters-sr-days for a four-year stay on-orbit. This will allow ACCESS to go beyond balloon-borne detectors and take the science of cosmic-ray observation to the threshold of space. The ACCESS instrument, consisting of a charge module, a transition radiation detector, and a calorimeter, should make valuable measurements of nuclei throughout the periodic table up to 1015 eV. The concept, options, mission plan, and accommodation issues for such an ISS payload are summarized. This includes the carrier, ISS Site, mass, thermal control, power, data and operations. The study demonstrates that the ISS, as a stable science platform at the threshold of space, makes improved cosmic-ray ACCESS possible at the turn of the century.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The ACCESS Mission: ISS Accommodation Study

ACCESS (Advanced Cosmic-ray Composition Experiment for Space Station) is a new mission concept payload for the International Space Station (ISS) which has undergone a preliminary accommodation study. ACCESS science goals include new measurements of the rare ultra-high energy and ultra-heavy components of the cosmic radiation above the Earth's atmosphere. The critical resource made available by the ISS is collecting power; up to 10,000 square meters-sr-days, for a four-year stay on-orbit, allows ACCESS to go beyond balloon-borne detectors. The instrument, consisting of a charge module, a transition radiation detector, and a calorimeter, measures nuclei throughout the periodic table. The study demonstrates that the ISS as a stable science platform at the threshold of space, can make improved cosmic-ray investigations possible in the next century.

Wefel, John P.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Human Space Exploration

The Mars probe, launched by India a few months ago, is on its way to Mars. At this juncture, it is appropriate to talk about the opportunities presented to us for the Human Exploration of Mars. I am planning to highlight some of the challenges to take humans to Mars, descend, land, stay, ascend and return home safely. The logistics of carrying the necessary accessories to stay at Mars will be delivered in multiple stages using robotic missions. The primary ingredients for human survival is air, water, food and shelter and the necessity to recycle the primary ingredients will be articulated. Humans have to travel beyond the van Allen radiation belt under microgravity condition during this inter‐planetary travel for about 6 months minimum one way. The deconditioning of human system under microgravity conditions and protection of humans from Galactic cosmic radiation during the travel should be taken into consideration. The multi‐disciplinary effort to keep the humans safe and functional during this journey will be addressed.

Jeevarajan, Antony↗
NASA NTRS2013

Analysis on H Spectral Shape During the Early 2012 SEPs with the PAMELA Experiment

The satellite-borne PAMELA experiment has been continuously collecting data since 2006.This apparatus is designed to study charged particles in the cosmic radiation. The combination of a permanent magnet, a silicon strip tracker and a silicon-tungsten imaging calorimeter, and the redundancy of instrumentation allow very precise studies on the physics of cosmic rays in a wide energy range and with high statistics. This makes PAMELA a very suitable instrument for Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) observations. Not only does its pan the energy range between the ground-based neutron monitor data and the observations of SEPs from space,but PAMELA also carries out the first direct measurements of the composition for the highest energy SEP events, including those causing Ground Level Enhancements (GLEs).In particular, PAMELA has registered many SEP events during solar cycle 24,offering unique opportunities to address the question of high-energy SEP origin. A preliminary analysis on proton spectra behaviour during this event is presented in this work.

Protons↗
NASA NTRS2009

Study of the Genes and Mechanism Involved in the Radioadaptive Response

The radioadaptive response is a phenomenon where exposure to a prior low dose of radiation reduces the level of damage induced by a subsequent high radiation dose. The molecular mechanism behind this is still not well understood. Learning more about the radioadaptive response is critical for long duration spaceflight since astronauts are exposed to low levels of cosmic radiation. The micronucleus assay was used to measure the level of damage caused by radiation. Although cells which were not washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) after a low priming dose of 5cGy did not show adaptation to the challenge dose, washing the cells with PBS and giving the cells fresh media after the low dose did allow radioadaptation to occur. This is consistent with the results of a previous publication by another research group. In the present study, genes involved in DNA damage signaling and the oxidative stress response were studied using RT PCR techniques in order to look at changes in expression level after the low dose with or without washing. Our preliminary results indicate that upregulation of oxidative stress response genes ANGPTL7, NCF2, TTN, and SRXN1 may be involved in the radioadaptive response. The low dose of radiation alone was found to activate the oxidative stress response genes GPR156 and MTL5, whereas, washing the cells alone caused relatively robust upregulation of the oxidative stress response genes DUSP1 and PTGS2. Washing after the priming dose showed some changes in the expression level of several DNA damage signaling genes. In addition, we studied whether washing the cells after the priming dose has an effect on the level of nitric oxide in both the media and cells, since nitric oxide levels are known to increase in the media of the cells after a high dose of radiation only if the cells were already exposed to a low priming dose. Based on this preliminary study, we propose that washing the cells after priming exposure actually eliminates some factor secreted by the cells that inhibits radioadaptation leading to the upregulation of some genes which initiates the response.

Dasgupta, Pushan R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effects to Exposure of Simulated Spaceflight Radiation on Behavioral Health of Male and Female Mice

Exposure to space radiation is a principal consideration of spaceflight missions as risk is leveraged as time and dose—both expected to increase with future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Previous mission exposure levels, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE), have been characterized as increased compared to those natural to Earth and are predicted to cause robust deficits at higher doses and longer durations. The cognitive health implications of this critical difference are understood as risks to mission and crew operations. We examined potential radiation-induced disruptions on brain health through resting-state in-cage behavior. 23–24-week-old male and female mice were exposed to 0 cGy (Sham), 5 cGy, 15 cGy, and 50 cGy via Five-Ion GCR Simulation (H, Si, He, O, Fe) at the NASA Space Radiation Lab in Brookhaven National Labs. Behavioral and cognitive performance were evaluated via frequency/duration of digging, rearing, and grooming within the 72-hour period immediately following irradiation. Additionally, during this time we evaluated nestlet building using a 5-stage Deacon score, rating shredding and shelter assembly of cotton material from untouched (1) to shredded and formed into a crater shape (5). We have observed differences in Deacon score only among the 15 cGy subset. Further comparative performance analysis will be completed evaluating the differences in irradiation effects between male and female mice. These experimental design aspects that allot for gender-inclusivity is supportive of the diversification of future space travel mission plans. Investigating gender differences is an element under our main objective of determining radiation dose-response curves. In brief, these studies identified a space-relevant radiation dose of 15 cGy that that can be utilized for future standardized ground studies on the nervous system.

spaceflight cognition impairment↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Changes in Cognitive Performance and Behavior Induced by Space-like Environment

Exposure to space radiation is a principal consideration of spaceflight missions as risk is leveraged as time and dose—both expected to increase with future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Previous mission exposure levels, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE), have been characterized as increased compared to those natural to Earth and are predicted to cause robust deficits at higher doses and longer durations. The cognitive health implications of this critical difference are understood as risks to mission and crew operations. We examined potential radiation-induced disruptions on brain health through resting-state in-cage behavior. 23–24-week-old male and female mice were exposed to 0 cGy (Sham), 5 cGy, 15 cGy, and 50 cGy via Five-Ion GCR Simulation (H, Si, He, O, Fe) at the NASA Space Radiation Lab in Brookhaven National Labs. Behavioral and cognitive performance were evaluated via frequency/duration of digging, rearing, and grooming within the 72-hour (acute) and 91-day (delayed) period following irradiation. Additionally, during this time we evaluated nestlet building using a 5-stage Deacon score, rating shredding and shelter assembly of cotton material from untouched (1) to shredded and formed into a crater shape (5). We have observed differences in behavior frequency and duration differences among the 15 cGy subset within the acute observation window. There were no significant differences in behavior frequencies nor duration during the delayed observation period. These experimental design aspects that allot for gender-inclusivity is supportive of the diversification of future space travel mission plans. Investigating gender differences is an element under our main objective of determining radiation dose-response curves. In brief, these studies identified a space-relevant radiation dose of 15 cGy that that can be utilized for future standardized ground studies on the nervous system.

O. Siu↗
NASA NTRS1981

A new transition radiation detector for cosmic ray nuclei

Test measurements on materials for transition radiation detectors at a low Lorentz factor are reported. The materials will be based on board Spacelab-2 for determining the composition and energy spectra of nuclear cosmic rays in the 1 TeV/nucleon range. The transition radiation detectors consist of a sandwich of radiator-photon detector combinations. The radiators emit X-rays and are composed of polyolefin fibers used with Xe filled multiwired proportional chamber (MWPC) detectors capable of detecting particle Lorentz factors of several hundred. The sizing of the detectors is outlined, noting the requirement of a thickness which provides a maximum ratio of transition radiation to total signal in the chambers. The fiber radiator-MWPC responses were tested at Fermilab and in an electron cyclotron. An increase in transition radiation detection was found as a square power law of Z, and the use of six radiator-MWPC on board the Spacelab-2 is outlined.

Lheureux, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A high-resolution study of ultra-heavy cosmic-ray nuclei (A0178)

The main objective of the experiment is a detailed study of the charge spectra of ultraheavy cosmic-ray nuclei from zinc (Z = 30) to uranium (Z = 92) and beyond using solid-state track detectors. Special emphasis will be placed on the relative abundances in the region Z or - 65, which is thought to be dominated by r-process nucleosynthesis. Subsidiary objectives include the study of the cosmic-ray transiron spectrum a search for the postulated long-lived superheavy (SH) nuclei (Z or = 110), such as (110) SH294, in the contemporary cosmic radiation. The motivation behind the search for super-heavy nuclei is based on predicted half-lives that are short compared to the age of the Earth but long compared to the age of cosmic rays. The detection of such nuclei would have far-reaching consequences for nuclear structure theory. The sample of ultraheavy nuclei obtained in this experiment will provide unique opportunities for many tests concerning element nucleosynthesis, cosmic-ray acceleration, and cosmic-ray propagation.

Osullivan, D.↗