[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
NASDA drafts radiation dose guidelines for astronauts
NASDA drafts radiation dose guidelines for astronauts
TSUKUBA, Japan, Dec. 21 (Kyodo) - The National Space Development Agency of
Japan (NASDA) has drawn up a draft guideline on permissible levels of lifetime
exposure to space radiation for astronauts to reduce their risk of getting cancer,
NASDA officials said Friday.
The draft guideline for Japanese astronauts assigned to the International Space
Station (ISS) was reported to a meeting in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, of the Space
Advisory Committee, an advisory panel of the science and technology ministry, the
officials said.
The guideline sets the lifetime permissible levels of space radiation, such as protons
and baryons from the sun, at 600 to 1,200 millisieverts for astronauts, depending on
their sex and age at the time of their first space flight.
Male astronauts could stay in space for a total of 900 days in their lifetime, and
female astronauts for 800 days, based on a calculation that they would be exposed
to 1 millisievert of space radiation a day, it says.
Space experts say astronauts are exposed to an estimated 1 millisievert of radiation
a day when they are aboard the ISS, which is orbiting some 400 kilometers above
Earth.
In the guideline, NASDA also stipulated the permissible levels of space radiation for
specific body parts, such as the eyes and skin.
The ISS, now under construction in space, is a joint project by 16 countries, including
Canada, Japan, Russia, the United States and European nations.
The project, scheduled to be completed in 2006, will allow astronauts to live in space
for long periods and conduct experiments and research.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
Director, Technical Extension 2306
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service Fax:(714) 668-3149
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/