Evolving radiological protection guidelines for exploration-class missions

Area of Science:

• Space medicine and radiation biology
• Risk assessment for crewed space exploration

Background:

• International Space Station partner nations lack agreed-upon career radiation dose limits for astronauts.
• Long-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit, such as to the Moon and Mars, will likely exceed current radiation exposure limits.
• Cumulative health impacts from various spaceflight-induced injuries and illnesses are amplified on extended missions.

Approach:

• Reviewing the origins of the Canadian Space Agency's current radiological protection practices.
• Evaluating conventional risk metrics used by space agencies to assess radiation-induced cancer mortality.
• Proposing the application of the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) model for space exploration.

Key Points:

• Existing radiation dose constraints are insufficient for future deep space missions.
• Current risk metrics focus primarily on cancer mortality from radiation.
• The DALY model offers a unified scale to assess diverse spaceflight health hazards.
• DALY can integrate risks from ionizing radiation and other spaceflight-induced health issues.

Conclusions:

• The DALY model provides a comprehensive and intuitive framework for evaluating the overall health impact of spaceflight.
• Implementing DALY can aid in collaborative mission planning and inform crew health protection strategies for deep space exploration.
• This approach facilitates communication regarding the multifaceted health challenges of long-duration space missions.