Radiation – NSBRI

Space Radiation and Bone Loss: Lunar Outpost Mission-Critical Scenarios and Countermeasures

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:53:43 +0000

Astronauts on long lunar missions will face the adverse affects of microgravity, reduced gravity and radiation exposure. It is known that microgravity causes bone loss since bones of the lower body do not bear weight in space like they do on Earth. The impact of radiation on bone quality and fracture healing in reduced gravity is unknown. Dr. Ted A Bateman is investigating the effect of different types of space radiation on bone to learn whether radiation increases the rate of loss. His team is also testing the protective effects of pharmacological countermeasures, such as bisphosphonates, antioxidants and certain proteins.

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Radiation, Endothelial Cell Senescence, Accelerated Aging and Atherosclerosis

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:52:09 +0000

Exposure to ionizing radiation is a health risk to astronauts, especially on long-duration spaceflight missions. Potential side effects include atherosclerosis and the accelerated aging of blood vessels. The lining of blood vessels, known as the endothelium, is especially sensitive to radiation. This project addresses the hypotheses that radiation will increase endothelial cell damage, decrease the ability for endothelial cells to repair themselves and increase endothelial cell aging. Dr. Artin A. Shoukas and colleagues will test two countermeasures, oxypurinol and statins (the class of drugs that lowers the level of cholesterol), to determine their ability to lessen the adverse effects of radiation-related endothelial dysfunction.

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Center for Space Radiation Research (CSRR)

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:58:15 +0000

When astronauts travel beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO), they will be exposed to galactic cosmic rays and will also be at risk of exposure to bursts of proton radiation due to largely unpredictable solar particle events. (SPEs). While the health problems from an SPE can be immediate, exposure to heavy ions (galactic cosmic rays) may cause long-term health risks. For instance, the results of recent epidemiological studies on Earth-based radiation exposures suggest that the heart and vasculature may be more sensitive to radiation than previously thought and may be at risk for late degenerative effects.

The Center for Space Radiation Research (CSRR) is comprised of teams from four institutions that work closely together to assess both the acute and late risks of low-dose proton and heavy ion exposures, and identify safe countermeasures that may protect astronauts against radiation effects. The researchers will use animal models to conduct the studies.

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Dosimetry: Design of a Radiation Dosimeter for Astronauts During Lunar Extravehicular Activities

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:55:26 +0000

During long-term exploration missions, space radiation will present a risk to astronaut health and could affect the performance of onboard equipment. It will be important to have accurate and reliable detectors that measure radiation dose in real time and indicate the onset of intense radiation from solar particle events.

Dr. Thomas Borak and colleagues are developing dosimeters small enough to fit in a spacesuit or within a backpack during a space walk, also called extravehicular activity (EVA). The device will be sensitive to a large range of charge particles and measure radiation dose and dose rate during an EVA or inside the spacecraft. As the radiation intensity increases during solar particle events, the dosimeter can issue a warning directly to astronauts as well as mission control. This will be a signal for the astronauts to implement measures that include termination of the EVA and travel to a safe haven that contains protective shielding.

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Biology of Virus Infections: Radiation and Immunity

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:55:26 +0000

The hypothesis of this project is that conditions of spaceflight – including solar radiation – damage the human immune system, leading to reactivation of latent viruses, increased viral infections and disease, and the possible development of cancer. Dr. Janet S. Butel’s laboratory is studying the immune system responses of mice in space-like conditions to determine the effect of space radiation on viral infections and virus-infected cells and to determine the ability of the mice to overcome viral infections and virus-induced cancers. This investigation will provide insights into the effects of spaceflight on infectious diseases and help develop methods for detecting, treating, and preventing virus reactivation.

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Mitigation of the Spacecraft Radiation Environment Via Magnetic Shielding by an Array of Dispersed Superconducting Magnets (First Award Fellowship)

yogi — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 04:54:43 +0000

Spacecraft are self-contained biospheres that must be designed to protect astronauts from harmful aspects of the interplanetary environment. Radiation encountered in deep space poses a significant threat to the health of astronauts and the success of future NASA missions beyond low-Earth orbit. Isotropic galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and intermittent solar particle events (SPEs) threaten to cause acute radiation sickness and exceed NASA’s permissible exposure limits (PELs) for cancer risk for explorers in near-term space operations. Thus, effective methods of mitigating this radiation risk are high priorities for NSBRI and NASA. This First Award Fellowship will design a magnetic shielding architecture capable of reducing the amount of radiation by a factor of 4 that reaches the astronaut habitat, thus alleviating many biological uncertainties associated with this risk. Through computational modeling, we will investigate the spectra of harmful radiation and will design a “swarm-bot” type magnetic field configuration that will deflect incoming radiation, thus forming a “safe-region” within the astronaut habitat. The novel method proposed here will work in concert with many aspects of existing superconductor technology. This system will be shown to operate in parallel with the existing NASA Orion spacecraft infrastructure and in a continuous mode but without the need for continuous power. The success of the fellowship will lay the groundwork for future laboratory demonstrations and possible mission inclusion of this technology.

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Mitigating Neurobehavioral Vulnerabilities to Space Radiation (Career Advancement Award)

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:58:15 +0000

To assess the likelihood of space radiation producing changes in the central nervous system (CNS), neurobehavioral functions are being measured in rodents via an animal test analogous to ‘vigilance’ tests in humans. The present project directly addresses the need for research with animal models on CNS risks that include likely changes in cognitive neurobehavioral function from solar particle events (SPE’s), galactic cosmic rays (GCR’s) or combined SPE and GCR irradiations. In addition, the project emphasizes differences in individual radiation sensitivity and likely changes in normal fluctuations in core body temperature and rest-activity patterns, two primary indices of circadian function, in addition to dopamine receptor-mediated behaviors and receptor function underlying these differences. It is critically important to assess whether radiation adversely affects brain functions by using new and more sensitive techniques to detect both short- and long-term cognitive neurobehavioral changes in animals. The use of such relevant systems for testing neurobehavioral function is critical to assessing radiation vulnerabilities for astronauts during long-duration lunar, NEA, and Mars missions.

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Somatic Mutations in Muscle and Bone Exposed to Simulated Space Radiation and Microgravity

Catherine Moreno — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 18:07:07 +0000

The accumulation of somatic (non-heritable) DNA mutations over time is a hallmark and potential mechanism of aging and other diseases. Our long-term goal is to understand how simulated space radiation, including that from protons and high atomic number and energy (HZE) ions, and microgravity, all of which are experienced during long duration space flight, interact to alter the burden of somatic mutations in bone and muscle, whether these changes contribute to disease phenotypes in these tissues, and to develop therapeutic countermeasures. Our central hypothesis is that space radiation induces somatic mutations in bone and muscle and alters known and novel signal transduction pathways that underlie development of cancers, immune system dysfunction and metabolic disturbances resulting from mitochondrial impairment. Furthermore, exposure to simulated microgravity increases the mutagenic potential of exposure to simulated space radiation potentiating the occurrence of mutations. The rationale for this proposed research is that there are no systematic and comprehensive studies of somatic mutations in muscle or bone exposed to space-like radiation and simulated microgravity simultaneously, and therefore the landscape and importance of such changes remains unknown. This gap in knowledge represents a significant barrier to ongoing and future studies of phenotypic variation and susceptibility to musculoskeletal disorders as well as the identification of therapeutic targets and development of innovative countermeasures to preserve astronaut health during extended missions and upon return to Earth.

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Effect of Deep-Space Radiation on Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Function

nsbri.admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:55:25 +0000

Little is known about the effects of deep space radiation on hematopoietic progenitor cells (bone marrow stem cells that can become any of the following: platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells, among others). Hematopoietic stem cells give rise to both the blood and immune systems, and damage to these cells from space’s high-radiation environment could have grave immediate and long-term consequences. The goal of Dr. Alan M. Gewirtz’s research is to identify and quantify the risks of deep space radiation to these cells and explore potential countermeasures to negate any cellular and molecular damage. One possibility includes preflight harvest and storage of astronaut stem cells as a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive mechanism for countering long-term damage to cells of the blood-forming systems.

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Countermeasures for Neurobehavioral Vulnerabilities to Space Radiation

yogi — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 04:25:43 +0000

Assessing the biological consequences of living in the space radiation environment represents one of the highest priority areas of NASA research. Of critical importance is the need for an assessment of the vulnerabilities of the central nervous system (CNS) leading to neurobehavioral changes in astronaut performance during long-term space missions, and for the development of effective countermeasures to such risks. Dr. Robert D. Hienz and his team are addressing this need via the application of an innovative animal model to 1) assess the long-term effects of radiation exposure on cognitive neurobehavioral function, 2) determine the likely mechanisms of damage to the CNS following radiation exposure (e.g., radiation-induced changes in neurotransmitter system function in the brain), and 3) develop pharmacological countermeasures to the adverse neurobehavioral effects of space radiation.

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