ISS Expedition Two Science Operations – Status Report 26 Mar 2001

Flight Engineer Jim Voss today installed the second science experiment in
the Destiny laboratory module on the International Space Station.

The Dosimetric Mapping experiment or DOSMAP is one of three experiments that
measure radiation inside the orbiting laboratory. This morning, Voss
installed and activated one type of DOSMAP detector, the Dosimetry
Telescopes or DOSTELS. Voss reported that these detectors began collecting
data at 10:18 CST. These two, thin silicone detectors were placed in empty
rack space inside Destiny.

While he was setting up the experiment, Voss complimented the hardware and
procedures provided by the payload team at the Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Ala., and life scientists at the Johnson Space Center in
Houston.

Later this week, the crew will set up and install the remaining DOSMAP
detectors and an associated computer. The Dosimetric Mapping experiment uses
a variety of sensors placed throughout the station to record and map the
different types of radiation that penetrate the Space Station’s radiation
shielding. The Space Station is orbiting above Earth’s protective
atmosphere, which blocks a variety of harmful radiation.

One of the main science goals of Expedition 2 is characterizing the
radiation environment inside the orbital laboratory so that countermeasures
can be developed for crews who are exposed to more radiation during long
space missions.

The data from the DOSMAP detectors will be collected every two weeks and
saved on an onboard computer. Some dosimeters will record all the radiation
absorbed during a particular time period, and then will be returned to Earth
for analysis. The Dosimetric Mapping experiment was developed by Dr. Guenter
Reitz of the German Space Agency and the sponsored by the European Space
Agency.

Voss said the Bonner Ball Neutron Detector that he installed last Friday
continues to work fine during its fourth day of continuous, unattended
operations. Voss performed a daily clock check, reporting it to the ground
so that radiation measurements can be correlated with specific time
intervals.

The Bonner Ball measures neutrons, which are uncharged atomic particles that
can penetrate living tissues. This experiment was developed by Dr. Tateo
Goka of the National Space Development Agency of Japan – one of NASA’s
International Space Station partners.

A suite of radiation detectors is being used because radiation is made up of
a variety of particles and energies that cannot be collected using a single
type of detector. During Expedition Two, one more radiation experiment –
the Phantom Torso – will be set up and activated. This is the first space
experiment to estimate the effects of radiation on organs inside the human
body. The Torso is a Phantom because it is not human, but closely mimics
human tissues and organs. Similar torsos are used to train radiologists on
Earth.

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Editor’s Note: The Payload Operations Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages all science research experiments aboard
the International Space Station. The center is also home for coordination
of the mission-planning work of a variety of international sources, all
science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and payload
safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel.