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Related Experiment Videos

Radiological health risks for exploratory class missions in space.

D S Nachtwey1, T C Yang

  • 1Medical Sciences Division, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058.

Acta Astronautica
|January 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Astronauts face significant radiation exposure on Moon and Mars missions. Current radiation dose calculations may need revision due to high-energy particles and their biological effects.

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Area of Science:

  • Space science
  • Radiation biology
  • Astrobiology

Background:

  • Space missions expose astronauts to ionizing radiation, including Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and Solar Particle Events (SPE).
  • Understanding radiation dose-equivalents is crucial for astronaut safety during lunar and Martian missions.
  • Existing models use Linear Energy Transfer (LET)-dependent quality factors, but the biological effectiveness of GCRs is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate radiation dose-equivalents for lunar and Mars missions.
  • To evaluate the potential increase in cancer mortality risk for astronauts.
  • To assess the adequacy of current radiation protection standards for deep space exploration.

Main Methods:

  • Calculated dose-equivalents using absorbed doses and ICRP 26 LET-dependent quality factors.
Keywords:
NASA Center JSCNASA Discipline Number 04-10NASA Discipline Radiation HealthNASA Program Radiation HealthNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Modeled radiation exposure during different mission phases: transit, surface stays, and Van Allen belt traversal.
  • Estimated cancer mortality risk increase based on calculated dose-equivalents.

    • Main Results:

    • A lunar round trip dose-equivalent is estimated at less than 0.05 Sv.
    • A Mars mission's total dose-equivalent is estimated at approximately 0.73 Sv over 460 days.
    • High LET heavy ions contribute significantly to the dose-equivalent, with conservatively high quality factors assigned.

    Conclusions:

    • The estimated 0.73 Sv for a Mars mission could increase cancer mortality risk by about one percent in a 35-year-old male astronaut.
    • The significant contribution of high LET particles suggests current quality factors may be overestimated.
    • The methodology for calculating GCR dose-equivalents requires re-evaluation due to uncertainties in biological effectiveness.