Workshop Report on Space Weather Risks and Society

As technological innovations produce new capabilities, complexities, and interdependencies, our susceptibility to the societal impacts of space weather increase. There is real concern in the scientific community that our infrastructure would be at significant risk if a major geomagnetic storm should occur. To discuss the societal impacts of space weather, we brought together an interdisciplinary group of subject matter experts and societal stakeholders to participate in a workshop entitled Space Weather Risks and Society. The workshop was held at Ames Research Center (ARC) on 15-16 October 2011. The workshop was co-sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center (LMATC), the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA), and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL, part of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council STFC). The workshop is part of a series of informal weekend workshops hosted by Center Director Pete Worden

Characterization of the RaD-X Mission Instruments

The NASA Radiation Dosimetry Experiment (RaD-X) stratospheric balloon flight mission, launched on 25 September 2015, provided dosimetric measurements above the Pfotzer maximum. The goal of taking these measurements is to improve aviation radiation models by providing a characterization of cosmic ray primaries, which are the source of radiation exposure at aviation altitudes. The RaD-X science payload consists of four instruments. The main science instrument is a tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC). The other instruments consisted of three solid state silicon dosimeters: Liulin, Teledyne total ionizing dose (TID) and RaySure detectors. To properly interpret the measurements, it is necessary to evaluate how the payload affects the radiation environment of the detectors. In addition, it is necessary to evaluate how the detectors react to the different particles impacting them. We present the results of the Geant-4 simulations of the interaction of the different radiations with the payload and the instruments. We show how it affect the measurements, and which instruments are better suited for future mission

BioSentinel: Monitoring DNA Damage Repair Beyond Low Earth Orbit on a 6U Nanosatellite

We are designing and developing a 6U nanosatellite as a secondary payload to fly aboard NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) Exploration Mission (EM) 1, scheduled for launch in late 2017. For the first time in over forty years, direct experimental data from biological studies beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) will be obtained during BioSentinels 12- to 18-month mission. BioSentinel will measure the damage and repair of DNA in a biological organism and allow us to compare that to information from onboard physical radiation sensors. This data will be available for validation of existing models and for extrapolation to humans.The BioSentinel experiment will use the organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) to report DNA double-strand-break (DSB) events that result from space radiation. DSB repair exhibits striking conservation of repair proteins from yeast to humans. The flight strain will include engineered genetic defects that prevent growth and division until a radiation-induced DSB activates the yeasts DNA repair mechanisms. The triggered culture growth and metabolic activity directly indicate a DSB and its repair. The yeast will be carried in the dry state in independent microwells with support electronics. The measurement subsystem will sequentially activate and monitor wells, optically tracking cell growth and metabolism. BioSentinel will also include TimePix radiation sensors implemented by JSCs RadWorks group. Dose and Linear Energy Transfer (LET) data will be compared directly to the rate of DSB-and-repair events measured by the S. cerevisiae biosentinels. BioSentinel will mature nanosatellite technologies to include: deep space communications and navigation, autonomous attitude control and momentum management, and micropropulsion systems to provide an adaptable nanosatellite platform for deep space uses

Biosentinel: Developing a Space Radiation Biosensor

Ionizing radiation presents a major challenge to human exploration and long-term residence in space. The deep-space radiation spectrum includes highly energetic particles that generate double strand breaks (DSBs), deleterious DNA lesions that are usually repaired without errors via homologous recombination (HR), a conserved pathway in all eukaryotes. While progress identifying and characterizing biological radiation effects using Earth-based facilities has been significant, no terrestrial source duplicates the unique space radiation environment.We are developing a biosensor-based nanosatellite to fly aboard NASAs Space Launch System Exploration Mission 1, expected to launch in 2017 and reach a 1AU (astronomic unit) heliocentric orbit. Our biosensor (called BioSentinel) uses the yeast S. cerevisiae to measure DSBs in response to ambient space radiation. The BioSentinel strain contains engineered genetic defects that prevent growth until and unless a radiation-induced DSB near a reporter gene activates the yeasts HR repair mechanisms. Thus, culture growth and metabolic activity directly indicate a successful DSB-and-repair event. In parallel, HR-defective and wild type strains will provide survival data. Desiccated cells will be carried within independent culture microwells, built into 96-well microfluidic cards. Each microwell set will be activated by media addition at different time points over 18 months, and cell growth will be tracked continuously via optical density. One reserve set will be activated only in the occurrence of a solar particle event. Biological measurements will be compared to data provided by onboard physical dosimeters and to Earth-based experiments.BioSentinel will conduct the first study of biological response to space radiation outside Low Earth Orbit in over 40 years. BioSentinel will thus address strategic knowledge gaps related to the biological effects of space radiation and will provide an adaptable platform to perform human-relevant measurements in multiple space environments. We hope that it can therefore be used on the ISS, on and around other planetary bodies as well as other exploration platforms as a self-contained system that will allow us to compare and calibrate different radiation environments.BioSentinels results will be critical for improving interpretation of the effects of space radiation exposure, and for reducing the risk associated with long-term human exploration

Meeting Report--NASA Radiation Biomarker Workshop

A summary is provided of presentations and discussions from the NASA Radiation Biomarker Workshop held September 27-28, 2007, at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Invited speakers were distinguished scientists representing key sectors of the radiation research community. Speakers addressed recent developments in the biomarker and biotechnology fields that may provide new opportunities for health-related assessment of radiation-exposed individuals, including for long-duration space travel. Topics discussed include the space radiation environment, biomarkers of radiation sensitivity and individual susceptibility, molecular signatures of low-dose responses, multivariate analysis of gene expression, biomarkers in biodefense, biomarkers in radiation oncology, biomarkers and triage following large-scale radiological incidents, integrated and multiple biomarker approaches, advances in whole-genome tiling arrays, advances in mass-spectrometry proteomics, radiation biodosimetry for estimation of cancer risk in a rat skin model, and confounding factors. Summary conclusions are provided at the end of the report

BioSentinel: DNA Damage-and-Repair Experiment Beyond Low Earth Orbit

No abstract availabl

Noninvasive Breath Analysis Using NASA E-Nose Technology for Health Assessment

Clinical breath analysis is based on the fact that many important metabolites and biomarker molecules are present at detectable levels in exhaled breath, and many of these molecules correlate with human disease or correlate with physiological states that could lead to a decline in health. Presented is a technology that utilizes an array of chemical sensors combined with humidity, temperature and pressure for real time breath analysis to correlate the chemical information in the breath with the state and functioning of different human organs. For example, a marker for pulmonary inflammation processes of the lower respiratory tract, e.g. asthma, is the increase of the nitrogen oxide (NO) concentration in breath. Other volatile biomarkers may correlate with infectious process, metabolic conditions and inflammatory diseases, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). This technology is also called "electronic nose" (E-Nose) in the sense that the device can mimic human nose to smell odors using a pattern recognition technique to analyze the sensor array data. Breath sampling is non-invasive and can be analyzed in real-time

Åelva: Utlegging av gytegrus i 2019 og undersøkelse av gytegroper i 2020

Våren 2019 ble NORCE LFI kontaktet av Pål Jacob Klouman og Espen Myre ved Norsk Villaksbevaring AS om å etablere to gyteområder for laksefisk i Åelva som ligger i nedre del av Gjengedalsvassdraget i Hyen. Bakgrunnen for forslaget var at tidligere undersøkelser utført av LFI NORCE i forbindelse med habitatkartlegging og gytefisktelling de siste årene, viste at det var forholdsvis lite gyteområder for laks i denne delen av vassdraget. Forslag til et aktuelt tiltak var å øke gytemuligheter for laksefisk på utløpet av de to innsjøene i denne delen av vassdraget. Laks og sjøaure har ulike krav til habitatforhold gjennom livssyklusen. En rekke studier har i den senere tid påpekt at den romlige fordelingen av egnete habitatforhold for ulike livsstadier kan ha stor effekt på vassdragets bærekapasitet for produksjon av laksesmolt. Særlig viktig anses tilgangen til gyteområder for voksen fisk og skjulforhold for ungfisk. Tiltaket for å etablere gyteområdene ble gjennomført høsten 2019 og besto i å legge ut egnet gytegrus på to ulike lokaliteter på utløp av Ommedalsvatnet og på utløpet av Åvatnet. Etterundersøkelsene av gyteaktivitet på den utlagte grusen ble gjennomført våren 2020. Tiltaket var et samarbeid mellom Norsk villaksbevaring og Åelva elveierlag. Undersøkelsen av gytegropene ble finansiert med støtte fra fiskefondsmidler fra Miljødirektoratet. Hensikten med denne rapporten er å sammenstille resultatene for habitattiltakene med å etablere nye gyteområder ved å legge ut gytegrus og i hvor stor grad fisken tok dette i bruk.publishedVersio