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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.

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NASA NTRS1974

Microdosimetry and the radiation danger of cosmic rays

The radiation danger of space flights is due primarily to intensive proton fluxes accompanying solar flares and heavy multiple charged ions in galactic cosmic radiation. Evaluation of the biological effect of these kinds of rays is based on calculations of tissue dose, taking into account the formation of secondary radiation in shielding and tissue. The essential role in such calculations is played by the dependence of the factor of quality on linear energy transfer (LET) of these charged particles. Recommendations concerning the dependence of the quality factor on LET are based on radiobiological experiments carried out on many biological systems using various kinds of rays, including heavy ions with energies in the 1-10 Mev/nucleon range. Justification of the results of these experiments, as well as their extrapolation to other energies, requires development of a model description of the radiation effect of charged particles on biological microstructures.

Gunter, K.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Anti-radiation vaccine: Immunologically-based Prophylaxis of Acute Toxic Radiation Syndromes Associated with Long-term Space Flight

Protecting crew from ionizing radiation is a key life sciences problem for long-duration space missions. The three major sources/types of radiation are found in space: galactic cosmic rays, trapped Van Allen belt radiation, and solar particle events. All present varying degrees of hazard to crews; however, exposure to high doses of any of these types of radiation ultimately induce both acute and long-term biological effects. High doses of space radiation can lead to the development of toxicity associated with the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) which could have significant mission impact, and even render the crew incapable of performing flight duties. The creation of efficient radiation protection technologies is considered an important target in space radiobiology, immunology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Two major mechanisms of cellular, organelle, and molecular destruction as a result of radiation exposure have been identified: 1) damage induced directly by incident radiation on the macromolecules they encounter and 2) radiolysis of water and generation of secondary free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce chemical bond breakage, molecular substitutions, and damage to biological molecules and membranes. Free-radical scavengers and antioxidants, which neutralize the damaging activities of ROS, are effective in reducing the impact of small to moderate doses of radiation. In the case of high doses of radiation, antioxidants alone may be inadequate as a radioprotective therapy. However, it remains a valuable component of a more holistic strategy of prophylaxis and therapy. High doses of radiation directly damage biological molecules and modify chemical bond, resulting in the main pathological processes that drive the development of acute radiation syndromes (ARS). Which of two types of radiation-induced cellular lethality that ultimately develops, apoptosis or necrosis, depends on the spectrum of incident radiation, dose, dose rate, and functional conditions of impacted cells/organisms. The administration of an experimental anti-radiation vaccine may provide an immunologically based, adjunct method of prevention or prophylaxis against clinical ARS. The administration of experimental anti-radiation serum (ARS) and the use of the blood dialysis methods, such as immune plasma-sorption, may assist in the clearance of radiation-specific toxins and may enhance established strategies for the mitigation of the biological effects leading to ARS, and should be evaluated for use on exploration-class space missions.

Popov, Dmitri↗

NASA NTRS2023

NASA’s Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator – How we study the effects of space radiation on Earth

Earth’s atmosphere and natural magnetic field do a good job protecting us from space radiation. Space radiation is different from radiation on Earth, which mostly comes from isotopes found in rock and soil or from medical procedures like an Xray. Ionizing space radiation comes from particles ejected from the Sun, or solar particle events, and from supernovae outside our solar system making up a background of galactic cosmic radiation. These particles, representing the elements of the periodic table, have been stripped of their electrons as they are accelerated in interstellar space to almost the speed of light. One of NASA’s biggest challenges is protecting astronauts from these high energy particles of galactic cosmic radiation which can cause cancer and other diseases. To understand the biological damage imparted to living systems and to develop protective countermeasures, NASA has built a galactic cosmic ray simulator on Earth.

Space Exploration Missions↗

NASA NTRS1963

COSMIC RAY OBSERVATIONS IN SPACE

Cosmic ray in space - galactic radiation - solar protons

COSMIC RADIATION↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) Study of Dose Versus Depth for Eight UV-Curable Polymers

The scope of the research project is to synthesize new polymers for use by astronauts in space. The polymers would be created using the energies and particles in space (UV, X-Rays, electrons, etc.). To understand the effects of these energies and particles on polymers, eight known UV-curable polymers were researched and simulated in OLTARIS (On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation In Space). Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) were incident on each material, and the Dose in Grays/day was calculated. Silicon was used as the standard detector.1 Polydimethylsiloxane was the most shielding material, and fluorinated ethylene propylene was the least shielding material.

Polymers↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Galactic Cosmic Ray Proton Radiation Dosage Near a Simple Lunar Crater

The Moon has a harsh radiation environment that poses significant challenges to future science and exploration activities. Exposure hazards from space radiation are primarily due to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) that are incident at the lunar surface from all directions. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s (LRO) Cosmic Ray Telescope for Effects of Radiation (CRaTER)instrument has been observing space radiation around the Moon since 2009 [1].The CRaTER observations show a steady rate of GCR flux with intermittent SEP events that have much higher fluxes. During solar minimum the GCR have a higher flux rate while the SEP events are less common. On the other hand, during solar maximum the SEP events have a higher rate but the GCR flux is lower. This is due to variations in solar activity. GCR shave characteristic energies spanning from 1 MeV to 10s of GeV[2]. SEPs, however, have much lower energy ranges of 50 keV to 10 GeV. The level of exposure at a given location on the Moon is dependent on the amount of space radiation incident from above the local horizon(Figure 1). This means that, radiation dosage depends on the surrounding terrain for any location on the surface, so it can vary substantially from point to point. Here we consider the radiation exposure around simple lunar craters that are representative of the types of landforms that will be encountered by future landed missions(e.g., the Artemis program)[3]. Of particular concern will be radiation exposure to biological targets, such as astronauts, and to critical electronic systems.

P H Phipps↗

NASA NTRS1992

Fully energy-dependent HZETRN (a galactic cosmic-ray transport code)

For extended manned space missions, the radiation shielding design requires efficient and accurate cosmic-ray transport codes that can handle the physics processes in detail. The Langley Research Center galactic cosmic-ray transport code (HZETRN) is currently under development for such design use. The cross sections for the production of secondary nucleons in the existing HZETRN code are energy dependent only for nucleon collisions. The approximation of energy-independent, heavy-ion fragmentation cross section is now removed by implementing a mathematically simplified energy-dependent stepping formalism for heavy ions. The cross section at each computational grid is obtained by linear interpolation from a few tabulated data to minimize computing time. Test runs were made for galactic cosmic-ray transport through a liquid hydrogen shield and a water shield at solar minimum. The results show no appreciable change in total fluxes or computing time compared with energy-independent calculations. Differences in high LET (linear energy transfer) spectra are noted, however, because of the large variation in cross sections at the low-energy region. The high LET components are significantly higher in the new code and have important implications on biological risk estimates for heavy-ion exposure.

Shinn, Judy L.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Heavy fragment production cross sections from 1.05 GeV/nucleon 56Fe in C, Al, Cu, Pb, and CH2 targets

We have obtained charge-changing cross sections and partial cross sections for fragmentation of 1.05 GeV/nucleon Fe projectiles incident on H, C, Al, Cu, and Pb nuclei. The energy region covered by this experiment is critical for an understanding of galactic cosmic ray propagation and space radiation biophysics. Surviving primary beam particles and fragments with charges from 12 to 25 produced within a forward cone of half-angle 61 mrad were detected using a silicon detector telescope to identify their charge and the cross sections were calculated after correction of the measured yields for finite target thickness effects. The cross sections are compared to model calculations and to previous measurements. Cross sections for the production of fragments with even-numbered nuclear charges are seen to be enhanced in almost all cases.

NASA Center HQS↗

NASA NTRS2000

Parameterized Cross Sections for Pion Production in Proton-Proton Collisions

An accurate knowledge of cross sections for pion production in proton-proton collisions finds wide application in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmic ray physics, and space radiation problems, especially in situations where an incident proton is transported through some medium and knowledge of the output particle spectrum is required when given the input spectrum. In these cases, accurate parameterizations of the cross sections are desired. In this paper much of the experimental data are reviewed and compared with a wide variety of different cross section parameterizations. Therefore, parameterizations of neutral and charged pion cross sections are provided that give a very accurate description of the experimental data. Lorentz invariant differential cross sections, spectral distributions, and total cross section parameterizations are presented.

Blattnig, Steve R.↗

NASA NTRS1963

Particle and fields in interplanetary space

Charged particle and gamma ray hazards in interplanetary flight - large solar cosmic ray events

INTERPLANETARY FLIGHT↗

NASA NTRS2016

Space Radiation Research at NASA

The harmful effects of space radiation on astronauts is one of the most important limiting factors for human exploration of space beyond low Earth orbit, including a journey to Mars. This talk will present an overview of space radiation issues that arise throughout the solar system and will describe research efforts at NASA aimed at studying space radiation effects on astronauts, including the experimental program at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Recent work on galactic cosmic ray simulation at ground based accelerators will also be presented. The three major sources of space radiation, namely geomagnetically trapped particles, solar particle events and galactic cosmic rays will be discussed as well as recent discoveries of the harmful effects of space radiation on the human body. Some suggestions will also be given for developing a space radiation program in the Republic of Korea.

Norbury, John↗

NASA NTRS2001

Composite Materials for Radiation Shielding During Deep Space Missions

Minimizing radiation exposure from the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) environment during deep space missions is essential to human health and sensitive instrument survivability. Given the fabrication constraints of space transportation vehicles protective shielding is, consequently, a complicated materials issue. These concerns are presented and considered in view of some novel composite materials being developed/suggested for GCR shielding applications. Advantages and disadvantages of the composites will be discussed as well as the need for coordinated testing/evaluation and modeling efforts.

Grugel, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Composite Materials for Radiation Shielding During Deep Space Missions

Grugel, R. N.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Medical countermeasures for extraterrestrial environments: Current status and future prospects with focus on acute injuries

In all space exploratory activities involving humans there are associated risks to health and well-being. Exposure to ionizing radiation represents one of the more serious health concerns. Although medical issues can arise shortly following the rare acute exposures, the more likely radiation-associated injuries will manifest in a delayed fashion following sub-acute exposures or protracted exposures to relatively low radiation doses. The radiological conditions that present these health risks during extraterrestrial space travel are presented in this article, along with current physical and medical countermeasures for such exposure contingencies. The aim of this article is to discuss radiation medical countermeasures that may be considered for future space exploration and travel. Biomedical advances have occurred toward the control and minimization of acute, sub-acute, and fractionated radiation exposure injuries, whether they stem from intentional application of radio-therapeutic procedures or unintentional, accidental terrestrial-based exposures. Those advances, based largely on novel bioengineering, genetic, and combinatorial pharmaceutical strategies, are briefly reviewed here, along with the promising prospects of additional, new and improved medical countering systems/agents that will be forthcoming with additional research and development efforts.

Acute/chronic radiation injuries↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Graphical User Interface (GUI) Implementation for Agent-Based Microbial Radiobiology Model

Sending human life past the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to explore the Moon and Mars will be challenging. The Earth’s magnetic field naturally protects life from deep-space particle radiation such as Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and Solar Particle Events (SPE); these will pose health risks to humans in deep space. Research has been done to investigate these effects, like BioSentinel, the first biological CubeSat to fly beyond the LEO, designed to culture yeast in a microfluidic device and record optical measurements of growth and metabolism. However, experiments can only report cell damage as bulk growth curves, while deep-space radiation causes damage that is heterogeneous among individual cells. AMMPER is an open-source, agent-based, computational model coded in Python to simulate the effects of deep-space radiation on individual yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to facilitate interpretation of biological radiation experiments. Version 1.0 of the code ran in a command line interface (CLI), limiting use to those familiar with modularization, object-oriented programming, and computational models. Here we present a graphical user interface (GUI) for AMMPER to increase its accessibility. GUI development included converting input points and UI files, designing an application and logo, and expanding program packages. Additionally, we added optical assistance that corresponded with simulation parameters, which included simulation type, cell type, ROS model, and radiation dosage, as well as customizable display and file exportation features. Following a pilot testing period, its structure was updated further to enhance abilities, adding increased runs, video visualization, data plotting, and an educational/tutorial component. Future work will include creating a bit installer and runtime environment for AMMPER. Ultimately, the creation of the GUI has two main goals: to facilitate the integration of computational models into the work of researchers in microbial radiobiology, and to act as an interactive and visual resource for space biology education.

yeast↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Solar Energetic Particle Radiation Dosage Near a Simple Lunar Crater

The Moon has a harsh radiation environment that poses significant challenges to future science and exploration activities. Exposure hazards from space radiation are primarily due to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) that are incident at the lunar surface from all directions. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s (LRO) Cosmic Ray Telescope for Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) instrument has been observing space radiation around the Moon since 2009 [1].The CRaTER observations show as teady GCR flux with intermittent SEP events that have much higher fluxes. During solar minimum GCR shave a higher flux, while SEP events are less common. On the other hand, during solar maximum the SEP events have a higher rate, but the GCR flux is lower. This is due to variations in solar activity. GCR shave characteristic energies spanning from1 MeV to 10s of GeV[2]. SEPs, however, have much lower energy ranges of 50 keV to 100sof MeV. The level of exposure at a given location on the Moon is dependent on the amount of space radiation incident from above the local horizon(Figure 1). This means that radiation dosage depends on the surrounding terrain for any location on the surface, so it can vary substantially from point to point. Here we consider the radiation exposure around simple lunar craters that are representative of the types of landforms that will be encountered by future landed missions(e.g., the Artemis program)[3]. Of particular concern will be radiation exposure to biological targets, such as astronauts, and to critical electronic systems

P H Phipps↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Maps of Primary Radiatoin Dose Around the Lunar South Pole: Preliminary Assessment of Artemis Landing Sites

P. H Phipps↗

NASA NTRS2018

Maintaining Human Health for Humans-Mars

The Human Health Research Program states that Radiation is the most challenging hazard to human spaceflight beyond LEO. The International Space Station provides an analog for evaluating techniques for dealing with Altered Gravity, the Radiation Environment of the ISS is only about 45% of the deep space values where radiation due to Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) dominate the spectrum. The Moon and cis-lunar space are being considered as a Mars Analog training ground for preparing crews for human mission to Mars. Spending more than 200 days in deep space is considered unsafe based on our current proxy for lifetime radiation dose. The paper outlines a way forward for spending days training near the Moon and for completing roundtrip missions to Mars while remaining below the current proxy. In the first case, a GCR overcoat shields crews from radiation during cis-lunar activities before making fast transits without in-space GCR overcoats to and from Mars. This case requires continued maturation of low TRL propulsion and power technologies currently around 4 to 5 while depending on repeatable reductions in launch costs by a factor of 6 expected of current reusable rockets. The second case requires no new technology development except for the expectation that the next near-term generation of reusable rockets will reduce launch costs by a factor of around 14. Five trajectories and GCR overcoat sizes for all mission legs are presented herein to illustrate the opportunities to maintain human health for Humans-Mars missions.

Robert W Moses↗