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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Overview of the NASA space radiation laboratory

The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) is a multidisciplinary center for space radiation research funded by NASA and located at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton NY. Operational since 2003, the scope of NSRL is to provide ion beams in support of the NASA Humans in Space program in radiobiology, physics and engineering to measure the risk and ameliorate the effect of radiation in space. Recently, it has also been recognized as the only facility in the U.S. currently capable of contributing to heavy ion radiotherapy research. Finally, this work contains a general overview of NSRL structure, capabilities and operation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Space Radiation Laboratory Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator

With exciting new Agency plans for a sustainable return to the moon, astronauts will once again leave earth’s protective magnetosphere only to endure higher levels of radiation from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the possibility of a large solar particle event (SPE). Gateway, lunar landers, and surface habitats will be designed to protect crew against SPEs with vehicle optimization, storm shelter concepts, and/or active dosimetry; however, the ever-penetrating GCR will continue to pose the most significant health risks especially as lunar missions increase in duration and as NASA sets its aspirations on Mars. The primary risks of concern include carcinogenesis, central nervous system effects resulting in potential in-mission cognitive or behavioral impairment and/or late neurological disorders, degenerative tissue effects including cataracts, circulatory and heart disease, as well as, potential immune system decrements impacting multiple aspects of crew health. Characterization and mitigation of these risks requires a significant reduction in the large biological uncertainties of chronic (low-dose rate) heavy ion exposures and the validation of countermeasures in a relevant space environment. NASA has developed the “GCR Simulator” at Brookhaven National Laboratory to generate a spectrum of ion beams that approximates the primary and secondary GCR field experienced at human organ locations within a deep-space vehicle. The majority of the dose is delivered from protons (~65-75%) and helium ions (~10-20%) with heavier ions (Z>3) contributing the remainder. The “GCR Simulator” exposes state-of-the art cellular and animal model systems to 33 sequential beams including 4 proton energies plus degrader, 4 helium energies plus degrader, and the five heavy ions of C, O, Si, Ti, and Fe. A polyethylene degrader is used with the 100 MeV/n H and He beams to provide a nearly continuous distribution of low energy particles. A 500 mGy exposure, delivering doses from each of the 33 beams, requires 75-90 minutes. To more closely simulate the low dose rates found in space, sequential field exposures can be divided into daily fractions over 2-6 weeks, with individual beam fractions as low as 0.1-0.2 mGy. In the large beam configuration (60 x 60 cm2), 54 special housing cages can accommodate 2-3 mice each for a 70-75 min duration or ~15 individually housed rats. Emerging research results from our 2018 runs utilizing mixed heavy ion fields and protracted space exposures are forthcoming and will deepen our understanding of the numerous health risks faced by astronauts. This talk discusses NASA’s innovative technology solution for a ground-based GCR simulator at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory to enable future exploration missions.

galactic cosmic ray simulator↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory – 2021 Update

For missions beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon or Mars, astronauts will encounter a complex space radiation field composed of various ion species with a broad range of energies. Such missions pose significant radiation protection challenges that need to be managed to minimize astronaut exposures and associated health risks. An innovative galactic cosmic ray simulator (GCRsim) was recently developed for the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The GCRsim technology is intended to recapitulate major components of the space radiation environment in a ground-analog laboratory setting. It is used for experimental studies to improve the understanding of biological risks and act as a test bed for counter measure development and validation. Currently, the GCRsim consists of 33 energetic ion beams that collectively simulate the primary and secondary GCR field encountered by astronauts over the broad range of particle types, energies, and linear energy transfer (LET) of interest to human health effects. A virtual workshop was held in December 2020 to assess the status of NASA's GCRsim and attendees examined various aspects of simulator design, with an emphasis on beam selection strategies. Modeling approaches, experimental constraints, areas of consensus, and questions of concern were also discussed in detail. An overview of the workshop considerations and discussion for research strategies that are important for future advancements and applications in space radio biology are presented.

Nafisah Khan↗
DOE OSTI2016

Use of the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory to Conduct Charged Particle Radiobiology Studies Relevant to Ion Therapy

Although clinical studies with carbon ions have been conducted successfully in Japan and Europe, the limited radiobiological information about charged particles that are heavier than protons remains a significant impediment to exploiting the full potential of particle therapy. There is growing interest in the U.S. to build a cancer treatment facility that utilizes charged particles heavier than protons. Therefore, it is essential that additional radiobiological knowledge be obtained using state-of-the-art technologies and biological models and end points relevant to clinical outcome. Currently, most such ion radiotherapy-related research is being conducted outside the U.S. This article addresses the substantial contributions to that research that are possible at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), which is the only facility in the U.S. at this time where heavy-ion radiobiology research with the ion species and energies of interest for therapy can be done. Here in this paper, we briefly discuss the relevant facilities at NSRL and how selected charged particle biology research gaps could be addressed using those facilities.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Galactic cosmic ray simulation at the NASA space radiation laboratory – Progress, challenges and recommendations on mixed-field effects

For missions beyond low Earth orbit to the moon or Mars, space explorers will encounter a complex radiation field composed of various ion species with a broad range of energies. Such missions pose significant radiation protection challenges that need to be solved in order to minimize exposures and associated health risks. An innovative galactic cosmic ray simulator (GCRsim) was recently developed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The GCRsim technology is intended to represent major components of the space radiation environment in a ground analog laboratory setting where it can be used to improve understanding of biological risks and serve as a testbed for countermeasure development and validation. The current GCRsim consists of 33 energetic ion beams that collectively simulate the primary and secondary GCR field encountered by humans in space over the broad range of particle types, energies, and linear energy transfer (LET) of interest to health effects. A virtual workshop was held in December 2020 to assess the status of the NASA baseline GCRsim. Workshop attendees examined various aspects of simulator design, with a particular emphasis on beam selection strategies. Experimental results, modeling approaches, areas of consensus, and questions of concern were also discussed in detail. This report includes a summary of the GCRsim workshop and a description of the current status of the GCRsim. This information is important for future advancements and applications in space radiobiology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

The Space Radiation Element (SRE) of the Human Research Program (HRP) aims to establish a robust biospecimen and tissue sharing collection (BTSC) to improve sample collection, tracking, access, distribution, and usability to maximize scientific return with intention. Future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond will require the appropriate characterization and mitigation of the many of the health risks associated with cosmic radiation exposure. An ongoing partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and the Office of Science for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to create a space radiation ground-analog. NSRL provides the capability to use simulated space radiation with high energy ion beams for assessment of biological outcomes relevant space radiation risks as well as electronics testing for avionics safety. Current NSRL irradiation capabilities include a variety of exposure variables available for experimental needs: - Up to approximately 10 Gy/min dose-rates with a 20 × 20 cm 2 beam area. - Down to several hundred particles within a 60 × 60 cm 2 beam area. - Dose fractionation across multiple days is also possible. - For most radiobiology experiments the exposure structure, referred to as “spills”, has a 4 second repetition time where ions are extracted uniformly during a 0.3-0.4 second spill, followed by a ~3.6 second recovery time when the beam is off. - Both single or mixed-beam field irradiations are possible including a full 33-beam GCRSim and 6-beam SimGCRSim. Biological experiment capabilities: Two labs for Cell/tissue culture procedures can be conducted in two lab spaces with a separate lab available for sample processing that contains two chemical fume hoods. Sixteen fully equipped cell culture laboratories are available in the NSRL’s Long Term Support area in the Medical Building. The current vivarium configuration can support approximately 8,000 rodents/year for animal-based experiments. The NSRL area animal husbandry system includes five caging racks with 48 spaces in each coupled to a ventilation/filtration system in largest room, and two smaller rooms with conventional caging systems. Schedule: The NSRL is nominally open for experiment scheduling during three runs per year; Spring (March – May), Summer (May - June), and Fall (Sept – Nov). NASA funding is not required for biological and electronic testing experiments at the NSRL.

Jason M Weeks↗
NASA NTRS2015

Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

The external Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) spectrum is significantly modified when it passes through spacecraft shielding and astronauts. One approach for simulating the GCR space radiation environment is to attempt to reproduce the unmodified, external GCR spectrum at a ground based accelerator. A possibly better approach would use the modified, shielded tissue spectrum, to select accelerator beams impinging on biological targets. NASA plans for implementation of a GCR simulator at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory will be discussed.

Norbury, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

International Collaboration for Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

An international collaboration on Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) simulation is being formed to make recommendations on how to best simulate the GCR spectrum at ground based accelerators. The external GCR spectrum is significantly modified when it passes through spacecraft shielding and astronauts. One approach for simulating the GCR space radiation environment at ground based accelerators would use the modified spectrum, rather than the external spectrum, in the accelerator beams impinging on biological targets. Two recent workshops have studied such GCR simulation. The first workshop was held at NASA Langley Research Center in October 2014. The second workshop was held at the NASA Space Radiation Investigators' workshop in Galveston, Texas in January 2015. The anticipated outcome of these and other studies may be a report or journal article, written by an international collaboration, making accelerator beam recommendations for GCR simulation. This poster describes the status of GCR simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory and encourages others to join the collaboration.

Norbury, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

GCR Simulator Development Status at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

There are large uncertainties connected to the biological response for exposure to galactic cosmic rays (GCR) on long duration deep space missions. In order to reduce the uncertainties and gain understanding about the basic mechanisms through which space radiation initiates cancer and other endpoints, radiobiology experiments are performed with mono-energetic ions beams. Some of the accelerator facilities supporting such experiments have matured to a point where simulating the broad range of particles and energies characteristic of the GCR environment in a single experiment is feasible from a technology, usage, and cost perspective. In this work, several aspects of simulating the GCR environment at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) are discussed. First, comparisons are made between direct simulation of the external, free space GCR field, and simulation of the induced tissue field behind shielding. It is found that upper energy constraints at NSRL limit the ability to simulate the external, free space field directly (i.e. shielding placed in the beam line in front of a biological target and exposed to a free space spectrum). Second, a reference environment for the GCR simulator and suitable for deep space missions is identified and described in terms of fluence and integrated dosimetric quantities. Analysis results are given to justify the use of a single reference field over a range of shielding conditions and solar activities. Third, an approach for simulating the reference field at NSRL is presented. The approach directly considers the hydrogen and helium energy spectra, and the heavier ions are collectively represented by considering the linear energy transfer (LET) spectrum. While many more aspects of the experimental setup need to be considered before final implementation of the GCR simulator, this preliminary study provides useful information that should aid the final design. Possible drawbacks of the proposed methodology are discussed and weighed against alternative simulation strategies.

Slaba, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

The external Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) spectrum is significantly modified when it passes through spacecraft shielding and astronauts. One approach for simulating the GCR space radiation environment at ground based accelerators would use the modified spectrum, rather than the external spectrum, in the accelerator beams impinging on biological targets. Two recent workshops have studied such GCR simulation. The first workshop was held at NASA Langley Research Center in October 2014. The second workshop was held at the NASA Space Radiation Investigators' workshop in Galveston, Texas in January 2015. The results of these workshops will be discussed in this paper.

Norbury, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2020

The Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator at the NASA Space Radiation Research Laboratory

With NASA’s new Artemis plan for a sustainable return to the moon, astronauts will once again leave Earth’s protective magnetosphere only to endure higher levels of radiation from galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). The ever penetrating GCR will continue to pose significant health risks especially as lunar missions increase in duration and as NASA sets its aspirations on Mars. The primary risks of concern include carcinogenesis, central nervous system (CNS) effects resulting in potential in-mission cognitive or behavioral impairment and/or late neurological disorders, and degenerative tissue effects including circulatory and heart disease. Characterization and mitigation of these risks requires a significant reduction in the large biological uncertainties of chronic (low-dose rate) heavy ion exposures and the validation of countermeasures in a relevant space environment. Historically, most research on understanding space radiation-induced health risks has been performed using acute exposures of monoenergetic single-ion beams. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species over a broad energy range. Using the fast beam switching and controls systems technology recently developed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a new era in radiobiological research is possible. NASA has developed the “GCR simulator” to generate a spectrum of ion beams that approximates the primary and secondary GCR field experienced at human organ locations within a deep-space vehicle.

NASA Space Radiation Laboratory↗
NASA NTRS2014

Space Radiation Program Element Tissue Sharing Initiative

Over the years, a large number of animal experiments have been conducted at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory and other facilities under the support of the NASA Space Radiation Program Element (SRPE). Studies using rodents and other animal species to address the space radiation risks will remain a significant portion of the research portfolio of the Element. In order to maximize scientific return of the animal studies, SRPE is taking the initiative to promote tissue sharing among the scientists in the space radiation research community. This initiative is enthusiastically supported by the community members as voiced in the responses to a recent survey. For retrospective tissue samples, an online platform will be established for the PIs to post a list of the available samples, and to exchange information with the potential recipients. For future animal experiments, a tissue sharing policy is being developed by SRPE.

Wu, H.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Calcium and lithium ion production for laser ion source

Calcium and lithium ion beams are required by NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory to simulate the effects of cosmic radiation. To identify the difficulties in providing such highly reactive materials as laser targets, both species were experimentally tested. Plate shaped lithium and calcium targets were fabricated to create ablation plasmas with a 6 ns 1064 nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser. We found significant oxygen contamination in both the Ca and Li high charge state beams due to the rapid oxidation of the surfaces. A large spot size, low power density laser was used to create low charge state beams without scanning the targets. The low charge state Ca beam did not have any apparent oxygen contamination, showing the potential to clean the target entirely of oxide with a low power beam once in the chamber. The Li target was clearly still oxidizing in the chamber after each low power shot. To measure the rate of oxidation, we shot the low power laser at the target repeatedly at 10 s, 30 s, 60 s, and 120 s interval lengths, showing a linear relation between the interval time and the amount of oxygen in the beam.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗