Aiming to help keep crews safe when NASA sends humans to Mars, scientists at the US space agency have developed a new device to monitor radiation exposure to neutrons and are testing it on the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Fast Neutron Spectrometer is designed to detect and measure the energy of neutrons, which are known to be specifically harmful to humans.<\/p>\n
“There are multiple types of radiation in space,” said Mark Christl, team lead for the study at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n
“While there are already advanced instruments to detect gamma rays produced by supernovas or black holes, X-rays and other charged particles, we needed a way to detect and measure neutron radiation to quantify the impact on human biology. Neutron detection techniques have not seen the same leap in technology advancement,” Christl added in a statement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Neutron radiation is created when the high-energy particles from our sun and outside our solar system interact with other particles or matter, such as a spacecraft or a planetary surface.<\/p>\n
But these neutrons are only viable for approximately 13 minutes before they decay into charged particles.<\/p>\n
“If they’re more than 13 minutes away from you, it’s not really a problem,” Christl said.<\/p>\n
“If you’re in a capsule or on a planet’s surface with little or no magnetic field or atmosphere, you can potentially be covered in a neutron field,” Christl added.<\/p>\n
The Fast Neutron Spectrometer is mainly a passive tool, waiting for neutrons to strike it.<\/p>\n
It is comprised of an aluminum housing with a plastic scintillator that slows down the neutron when it hits the device, and glass scintillator fibers that absorb the neutrons and re-emit the energy in the form of light.<\/p>\n
This advanced version provides two distinct signals for measurement — the first to measure its energy and the second to confirm a neutron was detected rather than another kind of particle.<\/p>\n
The standard, all-plastic devices can’t clearly determine the differences between these signals.<\/p>\n
Even though the space station’s radiation environment is not considered “deep space,” the spectrometer is a new capability ready for validation in a space environment, the scientists said.<\/p>\n
“These radiation detectors may force missions to change in mid-stream, but it will help keep our astronauts safe,” Christl said.\u2014IANS<\/p>\n
Image: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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