May 6, 2008 Vol. 1, Issue 4
NASA’s Space Biology Research Program should be adequately funded, concludes a new report by the National Research Council.
Calling the biological effects of and responses to space radiation “the single most important factor limiting prediction of radiation risk associated with human space exploration,” the National Research Council’s Committee on the Evaluation of Radiation Shielding for Space Exploration recommends adequate funding of NASA’s Space Radiation Biology Research program. The authors also recommend that NASA perform this research at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory. Noting that the entire Space Radiation Biology program is “critically dependent” on the availability of this laboratory, the authors point out that the facility itself is highly dependent on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) heavy ion physics program, and may not be available if the DOE program undergoes significant changes.
The Committee also recommended coordinating interagency efforts with NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide operational space weather support, as well as monitoring and forecasting capabilities.
Read Managing Space Radiation Risk in the New Era of Space Exploration.
