ORGAN DOSE MEASUREMENT USING THE PHANTOM TORSO (TORSO)
Research Area: Radiation Impacts on Humans
Expeditions: 2
Principal Investigator(s): ● Gautam D. Badhwar, PhD, Johnson Space Center, Houston,
Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Organ Dose Measurement Using the Phantom Torso (Torso) measures the amount of radiation
that a human received during an extended spaceflight. The measurements are taken using an
anatomical model of a male head and torso that contains different types of radiation sensors.
This experiment is important for future human long-duration space exploration.
EARTH BENEFITS
This experiment is teaching scientists more about the use of embedded devices for data
collection and how to monitor real-time data. This could prove beneficial to radiation
monitoring of commercial airline crews and military flight crews.
SPACE BENEFITS
The Torso experiment helps scientists more accurately
predict the radiation exposure astronauts will experience
inside their bodies, especially to critical blood-forming
organs. No previous experiment has had the capacity to
measure radiation doses in multiple, discrete locations in the
body. By performing this experiment aboard the
International Space Station (ISS), scientists also learn how
long human beings can remain in space before the body
absorbs dangerous levels of radiation. The experiment may
lead to protective procedures to safely prolong human
exposure to radiation.RESULTS
Torso results were combined with results from various
experiments on previous missions to validate NASA’s organ
dose database for astronauts. Preliminary results suggest
that organ dose and dose equivalent can be projected to a
+/- 25% accuracy using a combination of dosimetry and
radiation transport models. This accuracy is a great
improvement relative to the current accuracy of organ-
specific cancer risk projections. Further analyses and
incorporation of these radiation results into operational
planning for exploration is ongoing. Overall, the dose rates
measured in Torso are in good general agreement with other
measured values and with the models used to predict these
values. So far, the largest difference observed betweenISS002E6080 – The Phantom
Torso, seen here in the Human
Research Facility (HRF) section of
the Destiny/U.S. Laboratory on the
International Space Station (ISS),
is designed to measure the effects
of radiation on organs inside the
body by using a torso that is
similar to those used to train
radiologists on Earth. The torso is
equivalent in height and weight to
an average adult male.