Radiation environment in high-altitude Antarctic plateau: Recent measurements and model studies.

Polar regions are the most exposed to secondary particles and radiation produced by primary cosmic rays in the atmosphere, because naturally they are with marginal geomagnetic shielding. In addition, the secondary particle flux contributing to the complex radiation field is enhanced at high-mountain altitudes compared to sea level because of the reduced atmospheric attenuation. At present, there are very few systematic experimental measurements of environmental dose at high southern latitudes, specifically at high-altitude region. Here, we report a campaign of measurements with different devices, that is passive and Liulin-type dosimeters, of the radiation background at high-mountain Antarctic station Vostok (3488 m above sea level, 78° 27' S; 106° 50' E). We compare the measurements with a Monte Carlo-based model for the propagation of the cosmic rays through the atmosphere and assessment of the radiation field in the atmosphere. We employed the model to estimate the radiation dose at Vostok station during the ground-level enhancement at 28 October 2021. As in previous studies by other teams, we show that the annual dose equivalent at high-altitude Antarctic facilities can significantly exceed the limit of 1 mSv established for the general population by the ICRP.

Monitoring on board spacecraft by means of passive detectors.

To estimate the radiation risk of astronauts during space missions, it is necessary to measure dose characteristics in various compartments of the spacecraft; this knowledge can be further used for estimating the health hazard in planned missions. This contribution presents results obtained during several missions on board the International Space Station (ISS) during 2005-09. A combination of thermoluminescent and plastic nuclear track detectors was used to measure the absorbed dose and dose equivalent. These passive detectors have several advantages, especially small dimensions, which enabled their placement at various locations in different compartments inside the ISS or inside the phantom. Variation of dosimetric quantities with the phase of the solar cycle and the position inside the ISS is discussed.

[Dose distribution in the depth of the tissue-equivalent ball phantom modeling location of human body critical organs inside the compartments of the International space station].

Goal of the investigation is to study and to analyze radiation dose distribution in cosmonaut's body during long-term mission aboard the International space station (ISS). The established patterns of dose distribution under different conditions of the experiment allow simplify evaluation of dose accumulation by spacecrew. Dose from ionizing space radiation was determined with the help of thermoluminescent dosimeters mounted in conditional depths of critical organs in human body modeled in a dosimetric device, i.e.--a ball-like tissue-equivalent phantom designed and manufactured in Russia for international space experiment Matreshka-R. The article reports experimental data disclosing the character and levels of exposure to ionizing radiation inside the Service module crew quarters during ISS missions 8 and 9 (425 days, 2004-2005) and the docking compartment (SO1) during ISS missions 15 and 16 (285 days, 2007-2008).