Space radiobiology needs realistic hypotheses and relevant methodology

Space radiobiology needs realistic hypotheses and relevant methodology.

“If humans ever start to live permanently in space” and to verify whether assisted reproductive technology is safe in space, Wakayama et al. (1) maintained freeze-dried mouse spermatozoa in the International Space Station for 9 mo. While these authors are aware of the risks linked to space radiation, both their rationale and methodology approach raise two concerns. First, protracted exposure to...

Radiobiology for Space Research

Fundamental space radiobiology.

The unique feature of the space radiation environment is the dominance of high-energy charged particles (HZE or high LET radiation) emitted by the Sun and galactic sources, or trapped in the Van Allen radiation belts. These charged particles present a significant hazard to space flight crews, and accelerator-based experiments are underway to quantify the health risks due to unavoidable radiatio...

A review of ground-based heavy-ion radiobiology relevant to space radiation risk assessment: Part II. Cardiovascular and immunological effects

The future of manned space flight depends on an analysis of the numerous potential risks of travel into deep space. Currently no radiation dose limits have been established for these exploratory missions. To set these standards more information is needed about potential acute and late effects on human physiology from appropriate radiation exposure scenarios, including pertinent radiation types ...

Track Structure and Radiation Transport Model for Space Radiobiology Studies

Radiobiology experiments performed in space are deemed necessary for validation of risk-assessment methods. The understanding of space radiobiology experiments must combine knowledge of the space radiation environment, radiation transport, and models of biological response. The heavy ion transport code HZETRN has recently been combined with improved models of the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and ...