INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXTERNAL RADIATION MONITORING (ISS EXTERNAL RADIATION
MONITORING)
Research Area: Technology Development and Demonstration: Radiation
Measurements and Shielding
Expedition(s): 1-ongoing
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
External Radiation Monitoring aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is responsible for
gathering, analyzing, and interpreting the external environment radiation data for the ISS in
order to help ensure vehicle protection. All the partner agencies recognize the importance of
vehicle health to mission success and are dedicated to maintaining the health of ISS.
EARTH BENEFIT
New knowledge is expected to be the major benefit of this project.
SPACE BENEFIT
ISS External Radiation Monitoring provides new knowledge to advance space exploration.
RESULTS
The International Space Station
provides the proving ground for future
long-duration human activities in space.
Ionizing radiation measurements in ISS
form the ideal tool for the experimental
validation of radiation environmental
models, nuclear transport code
algorithms, and nuclear reaction cross
sections. Indeed, prior measurements
on the space shuttle have provided vital
information impacting both the
environmental models and the nuclear
transport code development by
requiring dynamic models of the low-
Earth orbit environment. Previous
studies using Computer Aided Design models of the evolving ISS configurations with Thermo-
Luminescent Detector area monitors, demonstrated that computational dosimetry requires
environmental models with accurate non-isotropic as well as dynamic behavior, detailed
information on rack loading, and an accurate 6 degree of freedom description of ISS trajectory
and orientation. It is imperative that we understand ISS exposures dynamically for crew career
planning, and insure that the regulatory requirements of keeping exposure as low as reasonably
achievable (ALARA) are adequately implemented. This is especially true since the ISS was
completed.
S128E009988 – Overall view of the International Space
Station shortly after the undocking of Space Shuttle Discovery
during STS-128. NASA image.