Compact Tissue-equivalent Proportional Counter for Deep Space Human Missions
T Straume1, L A Braby, T B Borak
1*NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035; †Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; ‡Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523.
Health Physics
|August 28, 2015
Summary
A new compact tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) prototype enables real-time measurement of space radiation biological effectiveness. This advancement is crucial for monitoring astronaut health during deep-space missions.
Area of Science:
- Space science
- Radiation biology
- Instrumentation
Background:
- Deep space radiation poses significant health risks to astronauts.
- Current methods for measuring radiation biological effectiveness are limited in space applications.
- Existing tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPCs) are too large and power-intensive for deep-space missions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact TEPC prototype for deep-space applications.
- To enable real-time measurement of radiation quantities related to biological effectiveness.
- To detect both galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events.
Main Methods:
- Designed a compact TEPC prototype suitable for deep-space exploration.
- Employed a novel approach using sequential sampling intervals to simulate dual detectors.
- Utilized a single detector for real-time determination of dose equivalent (yD) and quality factor.
Main Results:
- The prototype demonstrated linear response to gamma rays across a wide dose-rate range with <5% accuracy.
- Measurements of yD for carbon ions (200 MeV n-1) achieved better than 10% accuracy.
- Absorbed dose-rate accuracy for fission spectrum neutrons was better than 15%.
Conclusions:
- The compact TEPC prototype is a viable instrument for measuring space radiation biological effectiveness.
- This technology can support astronaut health monitoring on future deep-space missions.
- The device offers real-time dose and quality factor determination, crucial for radiation protection.
