RADIS Austria - Radiation dose distribution within the Matroshka human phantom torso onboard ISS

The cosmic radiation environment is significantly different from that found terrestrially. Cosmic rays primarily consist of high- energy charged particles originating from galactic and solar sources. Some of these particles inflict greater biological damage than that resulting from terrestrial radiation hazards. Particle and energy spectra are attenuated in interaction processes within the human body.

The reliable assessment of health risks to astronaut crews is pivotal in the design of future expeditions into interplanetary space and requires knowledge of absorbed radiation doses in critical radiosensitive organs and tissues. Within the further utilization of the ESA Matroshka facility onboard the Russian Segment of the International Space Station the dose profile in the anthropomorphic phantom body shall be investigated. Different active and passive detector systems from 16 participating international laboratories are distributed at the surface and inside the phantom.

The Atomic Institute of the Austrian Universities provides roughly 1000 small thermoluminescence dosimeter crystals for dose measurements with high spatial resolution and estimation of the biological effectiveness of the radiation field by means of the worldwide unique high-temperature ratio method.

In two phases, Matroshka shall be exposed inside and outside the spacecraft hull. The results are also expected to improve the dosimetric metrology in mixed radiation fields and are directly applicable to radiotherapy and aircrew radiation monitoring.

Coordinator

Technische Universität Wien Atominstitut der Österreichischen Universitäten - Norbert Vana, Michael Hajek

Partners

• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin - Günther Reitz, Thomas Berger
• European Space Agency Directorate of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration - Martin Zell

Technische Universität WienAtominstitut der Österreichischen Universitäten
Norbert Vana, Michael Hajek
Stadionallee 2
A-1020 Vienna
E-mail: vana@ati.ac.at, mhajek@ati.ac.at
Web: www.ati.ac.at