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Operational Aspects of Space Radiation AnalysisMinimizing astronaut's short and long-term medical risks arising from exposure to ionizing radiation during space missions is a major concern for NASA's manned spaceflight program, particularly exploration missions. For ethical and legal reasons, NASA follows the "as low as reasonably achievable" (ALARA) principal in managing astronaut's radiation exposures. One implementation of ALARA is the response to space weather events. Of particular concern are energetic solar particle events, and in low Earth orbit (LEO), electron belt enhancements. To properly respond to these events, NASA's Space Radiation Analysis Group (SRAG), in partnership with the NOAA Space Environment Center (SEC), provides continuous flight support during U.S. manned missions. In this partnership, SEC compiles space weather data from numerous ground and space based assets and makes it available in near real-time to SRAG (along with alerts and forecasts), who in turn uses these data as input to models to calculate estimates of the resulting exposure to astronauts. These calculations and vehicle instrument data form the basis for real-time recommendations to flight management. It is also important to implement ALARA during the design phase. In order to appropriately weigh the risks associated with various shielding and vehicle configuration concepts, the expected environment must be adequately characterized for nominal and worst case scenarios for that portion of the solar cycle and point in space. Even with the best shielding concepts and materials in place (unlikely), there will be numerous occasions where the crew is at greater risk due to being in a lower shielded environment (short term transit or lower shielded vehicles, EVAs), so that accurate space weather forecasts and nowcasts, of particles at the relevant energies, will be crucial to protecting crew health and safety.
Document ID
20070028913
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Weyland, M. D.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Johnson, A. S.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Semones, E. J.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Shelfer, T.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Dardano, C.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Lin, T.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Zapp, N. E.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Rutledge, R.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
George, T.
(Lockheed Martin Space Operations Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
October 17, 2005
Subject Category
Space Radiation
Meeting Information
Meeting: Solar and Space Physics and the Vision for Space Exploration
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Country: United States
Start Date: October 17, 2005
End Date: October 21, 2005
Sponsors: NASA's Earth-Sun System Division, the National Science Foundation, and the Space Studies Board Committee on Solar and Space Physics
Funding Number(s)
OTHER: 337-42-04-01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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