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Cluster 3: Space Radiation - Report
CLUSTER3
March2012
The THESEUS Coordination and Support Action has received funding from the European Community’s 7th Framework
Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°242482.
This document only reects the views of the THESEUS Consortium. The European Commission is not liable for any use
that may be made of the information contained therein.
Cluster 3: Space Radiation - Report
Radiation Eects on Humans
Radiation Dosimetry
Towards Human Exploration of Space:
a EUropean Strategy
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THESEUS: Towards Human Exploration of Space
– a European Strategy
Past space missions in low Earth orbit have demonstrated that human beings can survive and work in space
for long durations. However, there are pending technological, medical and psychological issues that must be
solved before adventuring into longer-duration space missions (e.g. protection against ionizing radiation,
psychological issues, behaviour and performance, prevention of bone loss, etc.). Furthermore, technological
breakthroughs, e.g. in life support systems and recycling technologies, are required to reduce the cost of future
expeditions to acceptable levels. Solving these issues will require scientic and technological breakthroughs in
clinical and industrial applications, many of which will have relevance to health issues on Earth as well.
Despite existing ESA and NASA studies or roadmaps, Europe still lacks a roadmap for human exploration of
space approved by the European scientic and industrial communities. The objective of THESEUS is to develop
an integrated life sciences research roadmap enabling European human space exploration in synergy with the
ESA strategy, taking advantage of the expertise available in Europe and identifying the potential of non-space
applications and dual research and development.
THESEUS Expert Groups
The basis of this activity is the coordination of 14 disciplinary Expert Groups (EGs) composed of key European
and international experts in their eld. Particular attention has been given to ensure that complementary ex-
pertise is gathered in the EGs.
EGs are clustered according to their focus:
Cluster 1: Integrated Systems Physiology
Bone and muscle
Heart, lungs and kidneys
Immunology
Neurophysiology
Nutrition and metabolism
Cluster 2: Psychology and Human-machine
Systems
Group/team processes
Human/machine interface
Skill maintenance
Cluster 3: Space Radiation
Radiation eects on humans
Radiation dosimetry
Cluster 4: Habitat Management
Microbiological quality control of the indoor
environment in space
Life support: management and regeneration of air,
water and food
Cluster 5: Health Care
Space medicine
Medication in space
Identication of Research Priorities and Development of the THESEUS Roadmap
Each Expert Group based their work on brainstorming sessions dedicated to identifying key issues in their
specic eld of knowledge. Key issues can be dened as disciplinary topics representing challenges for human
space exploration, requiring further attention in the future. These key issues were addressed to the scientic
community through an online consultation; comments and inputs received were used to rene them, to consi-
der knowledge gaps and research needs associated to them, as well as to suggest potential investigations.
The outcomes and main ndings of the ‘Integrated Systems Physiology’ EGs have been synthesised into this
report and further integrated to create the THESEUS roadmap.
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Table of Contents
1. Radiation Eects on Humans ..........................................................................................................5
1.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2. Key Issues .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
1.2.1. Key Issue 1: What is the particle and dose rate dependency for acute eects? .............................. 7
1.2.2. Key Issue 2: How is the sensitivity to acute eects modied by the space environment?.......... 7
1.2.3. Key Issue 3: What is the eectiveness of GCR at low doses for carcinogenesis? ............................. 8
1.2.4. Key Issue 4: Is there a risk of CNS damage from low doses of GCR? .................................................... 9
1.2.5. Key issue 5: Is there a risk of non-cancer late eects from low doses of GCR? ..............................10
1.2.6. Key Issue 6: Is there a risk of hereditary eects from low doses of GCR? .........................................11
1.2.7. Key Issue 7: How will multi-scale mechanistic-based modelling of space radiation improve
risk estimates? .......................................................................................................................................................12
1.2.8. Key Issue 8: How can radiation eects be eectively mitigated? .......................................................12
1.3. Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................................................13
1.4. References ..........................................................................................................................................................................15
2. Radiation Dosimetry .....................................................................................................................19
2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................19
2.2. Key Issues ..............................................................................................................................................................20
2.2.1. Key Issue 1: Experimental determination of radiation eld parameters ........................................20
2.2.2. Key Issue 2: Modelling of radiation environments.................................................................................22
2.2.3. Key Issue 3: Space weather forecast ............................................................................................................23
2.2.4. Key Issue 4: Transport codes ..........................................................................................................................25
2.2.5. Key issue 5: Shielding .......................................................................................................................................26
2.2.6. Key Issue 6: Individual radiation exposures ..............................................................................................28
2.2.7. Key Issue 7: Support to mission planning and operation ...................................................................30
2.3. Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................................................31
2.4. References ..........................................................................................................................................................................32
3. Annex: Composition of Expert Groups ........................................................................................38
