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Outline of On-Board Eexperiment Equipment |
These are the experiment equipment to be used for the space radiation environment measurement mission
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Real-time Radiation Monitoring Device |
Real-time Radiation Monitoring Device (RRMD) monitors in real-time, high energy space radiation which reaches the iinterior of the space ship, and transmits this data to Earth. RRMD is composed of Detector Unit, Sample Holder, Control Unit and Data Recorder Unit.
Detector Unit The Detector Unit directly measures how radiation provide its energy to surrounding materials. It also monitors other characteristics of space radiation such as time, direction and types of particle, and then transfers the detected signal to the Control Unit in real-time. There are two types of detectors. Type-II detects heavy particles in the LET range of carbon to iron, and Type-III detects particles from proton to carbon. On STS-89, Type-II detector was used. During STS-91, both Type-II and Type-III will be on board to monitor whole range of LET. |
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Sample Holder The Sample Container consists of a dosimeter, a sample holder, and a bio-specimen box which keeps biological specimens to be used in experiment. During experiments, the Sample Holder is attached to the Detector Unit. |
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Control Unit The Control Unit controls measurement process such as adjusting the sensitivity of the device, and also controls interface between other equipment. |
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| Data Recorder Unit Data Recorder Unit records the data from the Detector Unit on magnetic tape. The data recording time span can be set using a note type PC in the Space Shuttle which is usually referred to as the Payload General Support Computer (PGSC). | |||
Human Body Phantom The Human Body Phantom is a full scale model of human body which simulates the internal physical responses and distribution against radiation. By measuring dosimeters inserted in the model corresponding to the locations of internal organs of our body, we can estimate the radiation dose distribution in the human body. Phantom itself is provided NASA. |
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Last Updated : June 2, 1998
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