Dosimetric measurements in manned missions.

Area of Science:

• Space science
• Radiation physics
• Dosimetry

Background:

• Space missions expose astronauts and equipment to significant radiation.
• Accurate radiation monitoring is crucial for crew safety and mission planning.
• Previous missions provided baseline radiation data, necessitating ongoing measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure total radiation dose using thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs) during MIR, IML1, and D2 space missions.
• To compare TLD results with nuclear emulsions and plastic nuclear track detectors.
• To analyze dose equivalents and mean quality factors, comparing them to previous missions and calculations.

Main Methods:

• Deployment of detector packages including TLDs, nuclear emulsions, and plastic nuclear track detectors in various space station locations.
• Exposure of detectors within the MIR space station, Spacelab (IML1), and Spacelab module/tunnel (D2).
• Analysis of TLD data for total dose, and integration with other detector data to determine dose equivalents and quality factors.

Main Results:

• Total dose measurements were successfully obtained using TLDs across the analyzed missions.
• Dose equivalents recorded ranged from 200 to 700 microSieverts per day (µSv d-1).
• Comparison with prior mission data and theoretical calculations showed consistency and provided further insights.

Conclusions:

• TLDs provide reliable measurements for assessing space radiation doses.
• The recorded dose rates necessitate continued monitoring and radiation protection strategies for long-duration spaceflight.
• Findings contribute to a better understanding of the space radiation environment for future missions.