An easy-to-use function to assess deep space radiation in human brains

Area of Science:

• Space Medicine
• Radiation Physics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Space radiation poses significant health risks to astronauts on long-duration missions.
• Assessing central nervous system radiation exposure, particularly during solar energetic particle (SEP) events, is crucial for astronaut safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model and quantify radiation dose deposition within the human brain from realistic SEP events.
• To develop predictive functions for forecasting brain radiation doses based on SEP characteristics and shielding conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a realistic head/brain model to simulate radiation deposit from SEP events.
• Calculated radiation doses under various shielding scenarios.
• Derived mathematical functions relating dose to SEP properties and shielding.

Main Results:

• Established relationships between SEP event properties, shielding, and radiation dose in different brain regions.
• Developed simple, ready-to-use functions for rapid dose forecasting.
• Demonstrated the utility of these functions for nowcasting and shielding optimization.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool enables quick and reliable forecasting of brain radiation doses from SEPs.
• This facilitates improved astronaut safety through better shielding strategies and real-time event assessment.
• The findings support enhanced mitigation strategies for deep space exploration.