Space radiation poses a great health risks to astronauts on
lengthy International Space Station and future exploration
missions. A major activity of the JSC Radiation Biophysics
Laboratory is the analysis of cellular and molecular damages
in astronauts due to space radiation  exposure after long-duration
space missions. An active operational biodosimetry program
effectively monitors astronaut exposure amounts pre- and
postflight,
using state-of-the-art cytogenetic biomarkers detection
techniques. This ensures critical health assessment of astronaut
radiation
exposure records and ensuing success of overall astronaut
health and safety. Current research in biodosimetry seeks
to identify and develop novel techniques and bioassays for
measuring radiation exposure with greater sensitivity.
Additional ground-based research at the Radiation Biophysics
Laboratory aims to answer questions on the biological effects
of energetic ions and specifically to address critical
questions that are ranked as a top priority in NASA's Bioastronautics
Roadmap. The energetic ions that mimic the space environment
are generated at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL)
located at the Brookhaven
National Laboratory.
Extensive experiments are being conducted by the Radiation
Biophysics Laboratory personnel to study heavy ion-induced
chromosomal damages and gene mutations using in vitro cellular
and tissue equivalent models. Multiple genomic and proteomic
analysis employing high-tech resources available at JSC
also are undertaken to address these issues.
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