Payload 08 Information

Abstract:
With recent greater interest in human space flight, there exists a need for health monitoring of astronauts. The hostile radiation environment of space poses a serious and complex risk to the health of astronauts during extra-planetary missions. Current estimates of consequential adverse health effects remain highly imprecise due to uncertainties in radiation quality factors. Recent estimates of cancer risk projections for a typical Mars mission have associated uncertainties of 400-600%. Existing space qualified radiation detectors lack the ability to accurately measure radiation quality factors. Specifically, the active monitoring of exposure to neutrons, a major radiation dose hazard, is inadequate. To address this challenge, we have developed the Charged & Neutral Particle Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (CNP-TEPC), a unique radiation dosimeter with the capability of separating radiation dose contributions from charged and neutral radiation. The tissue equivalence of the detection system enables the collection of meaningful data since the dosimeter behaves analogously to a human cell. This real time radiation measurement device satisfies all radiation monitoring requirements of manned missions to low Earth orbit and future manned missions into deep space. A balloon flight will allow for the characterization of the instrument in a near space environment and play a key role in our mission of classifying radiological hazards in space. With major mechanical, electrical, and software advancements made during the HASP 2017 and 2018 flight campaigns, a fully functioni