Matroshka experiments
Encyclopedia
The Matroshka experiments on the International Space Station
(ISS) use a mannequin
that has been used to study cosmic radiation dose types and rates that relate to the health of space travellers on long duration missions.
The two-part experiment is named for the Matryoshka doll
s or Russian nested doll that has various layers of dolls, with the inner layers revealed when the outer layers are opened. In this experiment, the doll has measured the radiation doses of the separate components of the ionizing cosmic radiation at the skin surface and at different locations inside a realistic human torso, in order to establish the relation between skin doses and organ doses.
, solar UV
and material offgassing. It also acts as a simulation of a space suit
worn by astronauts during a space walk. Temperature, pressure and experiment data were collected during the mission and transferred to the onboard computer system of ISS, then to the earth stations for transmission to the experimenters. The torso uses commercial parts, common to the field of radiotherapy; various instrumented 'slices' were composed of natural bone
s embedded in plastics simulating tissue and lung.
The principal investigator is Guenter Reitz, Ph.D. of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
, Cologne, Germany.
/Progress M1-11 supply vehicle launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome
on 24 January 2004, and was placed on the outside of the Russian Zvezda module during a spacewalk during Expedition 8
by Alexander Kaleri and Michael Foale
on 15 March 2004, and brought inside during Expedition11 on 18 August 2005 then the experimental elements were returned to earth with that crew on 11 October 2005. The main devices remained inside the ISS.
Passive:
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) use a mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
that has been used to study cosmic radiation dose types and rates that relate to the health of space travellers on long duration missions.
The two-part experiment is named for the Matryoshka doll
Matryoshka doll
A matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll which is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. The first Russian nested doll set was carved in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo...
s or Russian nested doll that has various layers of dolls, with the inner layers revealed when the outer layers are opened. In this experiment, the doll has measured the radiation doses of the separate components of the ionizing cosmic radiation at the skin surface and at different locations inside a realistic human torso, in order to establish the relation between skin doses and organ doses.
Details
Matroshka is a human torso (mannequin), a base structure and a container. The container is a carbon fibre structure and formed, with the base structure, a closed volume that contained a dry oxygen atmosphere and protected the torso against space vacuum, space debrisSpace debris
Space debris, also known as orbital debris, space junk, and space waste, is the collection of objects in orbit around Earth that were created by humans but no longer serve any useful purpose. These objects consist of everything from spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to erosion, explosion...
, solar UV
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
and material offgassing. It also acts as a simulation of a space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
worn by astronauts during a space walk. Temperature, pressure and experiment data were collected during the mission and transferred to the onboard computer system of ISS, then to the earth stations for transmission to the experimenters. The torso uses commercial parts, common to the field of radiotherapy; various instrumented 'slices' were composed of natural bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s embedded in plastics simulating tissue and lung.
The principal investigator is Guenter Reitz, Ph.D. of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
, Cologne, Germany.
MTR-1
Matroshka-1 (MTR-1) was sent to the ISS aboard the Soyuz-USoyuz-U
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....
/Progress M1-11 supply vehicle launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
on 24 January 2004, and was placed on the outside of the Russian Zvezda module during a spacewalk during Expedition 8
Expedition 8
Expedition 8 was the eighth expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Perigee: 384 km*Apogee: 396 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 92 min*Docked: 20 October 2003 - 07:15:58 UTC...
by Alexander Kaleri and Michael Foale
Michael Foale
Colin Michael Foale, CBE, PhD is a British-American astrophysicist with dual citizenship and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space shuttle missions and extended stays on both Mir and the International Space Station...
on 15 March 2004, and brought inside during Expedition11 on 18 August 2005 then the experimental elements were returned to earth with that crew on 11 October 2005. The main devices remained inside the ISS.
MTR-2
Matroshka-2 (MTR-2) received its experimental elements (experiment 2A — passive detectors) aboard Progress 20P launched 21 December 2005. These 'slices' were mounted and measured similar data for conditions inside the ISS until active detectors were received later (experiment 2B) to continue dose readings until its eventual return to earth using replacement sensor parts. The torso returned to earth on in 2009Experiments
Active:- Dosimetric Telescope (two passive implanted planar silicon detectors)
- Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (ionisation chamber)
- Silicon ScintillatorScintillationScintillation can refer to:*Scintillation , atmospheric effects which influence astronomical observations*Interplanetary scintillation, fluctuations of radio waves caused by the solar wind...
DosimeterDosimeterDosimeters measure an individual's or an object'sexposure to something in the environment — particularly to a hazard inflicting cumulative impact over long periods of time, or over a lifetime...
Passive:
- ThermoluminescenceThermoluminescenceThermoluminescence is a form of luminescence that is exhibited by certain crystalline materials, such as some minerals, when previously absorbed energy from electromagnetic radiation or other ionizing radiation is re-emitted as light upon heating of the material...
Dosimeter - Plastic-Nuclear Track Detector
See also
- Space physicsSpace physicsSpace physics, also known as space plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the universe. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of topics, including the sun, solar wind, planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres, auroras, cosmic rays, and synchrotron radiation...
- Solar windSolar windThe solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. It mostly consists of electrons and protons with energies usually between 1.5 and 10 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed over time...
- Cosmic rayCosmic rayCosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...
- Radiographic equipmentRadiographic equipmentThis is a page devoted to the basic equipment used for radiographic work, both medical and industrial.- Photon sources :There are many types of sources for high energy X-ray and gamma photons.- X-ray sources :...
- Dose profileDose ProfileIn External Beam Radiotherapy, transverse and longitudinal dose measurements are taken by a radiation detector in order to characterise the radiation beams from medical linear accelerators. Typically, an ionisation chamber and water phantom are used to create these radiation dose profiles...
- Scientific research on the ISSScientific research on the ISSScientific Research on the International Space Station is a collection of experiments that require one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit. The primary fields of research include human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology...
External links
- Matroshka Space Radiation Experiment, 5MB PDF, ESA Document EUC-ESA-FSH-026, 19 October 2005
- Progress M1-11 with MTR-1
- http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMRVC638FE_Germany_0.html Neues vom Weltraumphantom: Das Matroschka-Experiment geht weiter] (German languageGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) 1 November 2005 / Google translation (English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - MTR-1
- MTR-2
- see also NASA's Organ Dose Measurement Using the Phantom Torso (Torso) - aka "Fred"
- Matryoshka-R (ISS Experiment) - S.P. KOROLEV ROCKET AND SPACE CORPORATION «ENERGIA»