Identification of trends into dose calculations for astronauts through performing Sensitivity analysis on calculational models used by the Radiation Health Office

The Radiation Health Office (RHO) determines each astronaut’s cancer risk by using models to associate the amount of radiation dose that astronauts receive from spaceflight missions. The baryon transport codes (BRYNTRN), high charge (Z) and energy transport codes (HZETRN), and computer risk models are used to determine the effective dose received by astronauts in Low Earth orbit (LEO). This code uses an approximation of the Boltzman transport formula. The purpose of the project is to run this code for various International Space Station (ISS) flight parameters in order to gain a better understanding of how this code responds to different scenarios. The project will determine how variations in one set of parameters such as, the point of the solar cycle and altitude can affect the radiation exposure of astronauts during ISS missions. This project will benefit NASA by improving mission dosimetry. Introduction The RHO has a computational model that uses the BRYNTRN and HZETRN transport codes and mission parameters in order to assess risk for astronauts during their International Space Station missions. The model calls for the input file that deals with the specifics of that mission such as the altitude that the mission was flown at, the value of the F10.7 radio flux, sunspot number, the solar modulation parameter (PHI), measured absorbed doses from the Radiation Area Monitors (RAMs), and the measured dose from the Crew Passive Dosimeters (CPDs). The CPD are worn at all times. The program also calls for another file that produces a table of doses imparted by different particles at various depths. The computational model uses these input files to calculate the risk