Contract Detail

WHILE THE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT E.G. ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) HAS BEEN STUDIED IN GREAT DETAIL A SIMILAR LEVEL OF DETAIL IS LACKING REGARDING THE IONIZING RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IN THE EARTH S ATMOSPHERE. TO PUT IT BLUNTLY WE KNOW FAR MORE ABOUT THE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT 400 KM ABOVE OUR HEADS THAN AT 40 KM ABOVE OUR HEADS. SUBORBITAL FLIGHT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEASURE THE STEADY STATE ATMOSPHERIC IONIZING RADIATION ENVIRONMENT (SSAIRE) BETWEEN 20 AND 120 KM THEREBY PROVIDING IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE SSAIRE THAT HAVE SELDOM BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE PAST. SUCH MEASUREMENTS WILL ALLOW US TO VALIDATE COMPUTER MODELS OF THE SSAIRE AND WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE IMPACT OF THE SSAIRE ON THE HEALTH OF HIGH ALTITUDE AIRCREW AND PASSENGERS AND ON POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE SSAIRE ON RADIATION SENSITIVITY AVIONICS. IN ADDITION SUBORBITAL TOURISM IS ON THE CUSP OF BECOMING A REALITY AND PASSENGERS ON FLIGHTS TO THE HIGHEST ALTITUDES IN OUR ATMOSPHERE WILL NATURALLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR RADIATION EXPOSURE DURING SUCH FLIGHTS. MEASUREMENTS MADE ABOARD SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS CAN DIRECTLY ADDRESS AND ALLEVIATE THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING RADIATION EXPOSURE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEMONSTRATE A VERSION OF THE ACTIVE TISSUE EQUIVALENT DOSIMETER (ATED) DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEASURING IONIZING RADIATION EXPOSURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE ABOARD A BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPARD SUBORBITAL FLIGHT. ATED IS A TISSUE EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONAL COUNTER (TEPC) DEVELOPED BY THE OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY (OSU) RADIATION PHYSICS LABORATORY (RPL) UNDER A 2007 NASA EPSCOR GRANT NNX07AT66A TISSUE EQUIVALENT DETECTORS FOR SPACE CREW DOSIMETRY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT. ATED PREVIOUSLY OPERATED ABOARD THE ISS IN 2018 UNDER NASA EPSCOR GRANT NNX6AD50A DEMONSTRATION OF THE OSU TISSUE EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONAL COUNTER FOR SPACE CREW DOSIMETRY ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. FIGURE 1 SHOWS A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED DURING THE 2018 ISS ATED EXPERIMENT. THE ATMOSPHERIC IONIZING RADIATION VERSION OF ATED HENCEFORTH REFERRED TO AS AIRTED IS DESIGNED TO BE PRODUCED IN LARGER NUMBERS SO THAT IT MAY BE DEPLOYED FOR RADIATION MONITORING PURPOSES ABOARD MULTIPLE COMMERCIAL BUSINESS AND MILITARY AIRCRAFT AS WELL AS HIGH ALTITUDE UAVS BALLOONS AND SUBORBITAL VEHICLES. FOR THIS REASON NUMEROUS CHANGES TO THE DESIGN HAVE BEEN MADE IN ORDER REDUCE INSTRUMENT COST SIZE AND MASS AS WELL AS IMPLEMENT A NUMBER OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ISS FLIGHT.

WHILE THE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT E.G. ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) HAS BEEN STUDIED IN GREAT DETAIL A SIMILAR LEVEL OF DETAIL IS LACKING REGARDING THE IONIZING RADIATION ENVIRONMENT IN THE EARTH S ATMOSPHERE. TO PUT IT BLUNTLY WE KNOW FAR MORE ABOUT THE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT 400 KM ABOVE OUR HEADS THAN AT 40 KM ABOVE OUR HEADS. SUBORBITAL FLIGHT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEASURE THE STEADY STATE ATMOSPHERIC IONIZING RADIATION ENVIRONMENT (SSAIRE) BETWEEN 20 AND 120 KM THEREBY PROVIDING IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE SSAIRE THAT HAVE SELDOM BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE PAST. SUCH MEASUREMENTS WILL ALLOW US TO VALIDATE COMPUTER MODELS OF THE SSAIRE AND WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE IMPACT OF THE SSAIRE ON THE HEALTH OF HIGH ALTITUDE AIRCREW AND PASSENGERS AND ON POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE SSAIRE ON RADIATION SENSITIVITY AVIONICS. IN ADDITION SUBORBITAL TOURISM IS ON THE CUSP OF BECOMING A REALITY AND PASSENGERS ON FLIGHTS TO THE HIGHEST ALTITUDES IN OUR ATMOSPHERE WILL NATURALLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR RADIATION EXPOSURE DURING SUCH FLIGHTS. MEASUREMENTS MADE ABOARD SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS CAN DIRECTLY ADDRESS AND ALLEVIATE THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING RADIATION EXPOSURE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEMONSTRATE A VERSION OF THE ACTIVE TISSUE EQUIVALENT DOSIMETER (ATED) DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR MEASURING IONIZING RADIATION EXPOSURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE ABOARD A BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPARD SUBORBITAL FLIGHT. ATED IS A TISSUE EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONAL COUNTER (TEPC) DEVELOPED BY THE OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY (OSU) RADIATION PHYSICS LABORATORY (RPL) UNDER A 2007 NASA EPSCOR GRANT NNX07AT66A TISSUE EQUIVALENT DETECTORS FOR SPACE CREW DOSIMETRY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT. ATED PREVIOUSLY OPERATED ABOARD THE ISS IN 2018 UNDER NASA EPSCOR GRANT NNX6AD50A DEMONSTRATION OF THE OSU TISSUE EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONAL COUNTER FOR SPACE CREW DOSIMETRY ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. FIGURE 1 SHOWS A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED DURING THE 2018 ISS ATED EXPERIMENT. THE ATMOSPHERIC IONIZING RADIATION VERSION OF ATED HENCEFORTH REFERRED TO AS AIRTED IS DESIGNED TO BE PRODUCED IN LARGER NUMBERS SO THAT IT MAY BE DEPLOYED FOR RADIATION MONITORING PURPOSES ABOARD MULTIPLE COMMERCIAL BUSINESS AND MILITARY AIRCRAFT AS WELL AS HIGH ALTITUDE UAVS BALLOONS AND SUBORBITAL VEHICLES. FOR THIS REASON NUMEROUS CHANGES TO THE DESIGN HAVE BEEN MADE IN ORDER REDUCE INSTRUMENT COST SIZE AND MASS AS WELL AS IMPLEMENT A NUMBER OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ISS FLIGHT.