Dual origins of light flashes seen in space

Casolino, M.; Bidoli, V.; Morselli, A.; Narici, L.; Pascale, M. P. De; Picozza, P.; Reali, E.; Sparvoli, R.; Mazzenga, G.; Ricci, M.; Спиллантини, П.; Boezio, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Vacchi, A.; Zampa, N.; Castellini, G.; Sannita, Walter G.; Carlson, P.; Galper, A. M.; Korotkov, M.; Popov, A.; Vavilov, N.; Avdeev, S.; Fuglesang, C.

doi:10.1038/422680a

Cited by 85 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…First evidence of these effects came from reports of visual phosphenes, described as sudden "light flashes", first reported by Buzz Aldrin after the first Moon landing and then by almost all the astronauts in the Apollo programme. 127 Light flashes are believed to be produced by a direct interaction of an energetic charged particle with the retina or the eye, as confirmed by studies in space 128 and in dedicated experiments in cancer patients treated with C-ions using spot-scanning. 129 The observation of light flashes brought attention to the possible effects of charged particles on the brain function.…”

Section: Late Effectsmentioning

confidence: 93%

New challenges in high-energy particle radiobiology

Durante

2014

BJR

125

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Densely ionizing radiation has always been a main topic in radiobiology. In fact, a-particles and neutrons are sources of radiation exposure for the general population and workers in nuclear power plants. More recently, high-energy protons and heavy ions attracted a large interest for two applications: hadrontherapy in oncology and space radiation protection in manned space missions. For many years, studies concentrated on measurements of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the energetic particles for different end points, especially cell killing (for radiotherapy) and carcinogenesis (for late effects). Although more recently, it has been shown that densely ionizing radiation elicits signalling pathways quite distinct from those involved in the cell and tissue response to photons. The response of the microenvironment to charged particles is therefore under scrutiny, and both the damage in the target and non-target tissues are relevant. The role of individual susceptibility in therapy and risk is obviously a major topic in radiation research in general, and for ion radiobiology as well. Particle radiobiology is therefore now entering into a new phase, where beyond RBE, the tissue response is considered. These results may open new applications for both cancer therapy and protection in deep space.Biological effects of densely ionizing radiation have been studied since the beginning of radiobiology. As a matter of fact, a-particles deliver the main contribution to the background radiation dose on Earth, owing to inhalation of the indoor radon.1 Neutrons have also been extensively studied because of protection of workers in nuclear power plants; use of fast neutrons in radiotherapy; and of the exposure of the survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where a neutron component was added to g-rays. Bacq and Alexander 2 already elegantly described the radiobiology of a-particles and neutrons in their 1955 seminal book.More recently, radiobiology research has focused on highenergy protons and heavy ions, mostly for two reasons: charged particle therapy (CPT) in oncology and radiation protection in manned space missions. In both cases, charged particles at energies .100 MeV n 21 are involved. The characteristic depth-dose distribution with the sharp Bragg peak at the end of the range can be exploited for killing tumours; on the other hand, densely ionizing radiation can effectively delay tissue morbidity. Notwithstanding the many differences in exposure conditions, CPT and space radiation protection share several research topics, including individual sensitivity, non-targeted effects, late stochastic effects and so forth.3 Research in these fields requires large high-energy accelerators and is often performed by the same research groups with a common interest in particle radiobiology. Research is rapidly moving forward owing to the diffusion of CPT centres in the USA, Europe, and Asia 4 and to the growing interest in manned space exploration, now a priority for all space agencies, 5 but wi...

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Section: Late Effectsmentioning

confidence: 93%

New challenges in high-energy particle radiobiology

Durante

2014

BJR

125

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“…Astronauts are exposed to high energy heavy ions of the cosmic radiation (Pinsky et al, 1975;Casolino et al, 2003b), as suggested by properties and relative abundance of particles inside space vehicles (Benton et al, 1975;Pinsky et al, 1975;Casolino et al, 2003a,b;Di Fino et al, 2011).…”

Section: The Human Body In Space Faces the Challenges Posed By Microgmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microgravity, Stem Cells, and Embryonic Development: Challenges and Opportunities for 3D Tissue Generation

Andreazzoli

Angeloni

Broccoli

et al. 2017

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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Space is a challenging environment for the human body, due to the combined effects of reduced gravity (microgravity) and cosmic radiation. Known effects of microgravity range from the blood redistribution that affects the cardiovascular system and the eye to muscle wasting, bone loss, anemia, and immune depression. About cosmic radiation, the shielding provided by the spaceship hull is far less efficient than that afforded at ground level by the combined effects of the Earth atmosphere and magnetic field. The eye and its nervous layer (the retina) are affected by both microgravity and heavy ions exposure. Considering the importance of sight for long-term manned flights, visual research aimed at devising measures to protect the eye from environmental conditions of the outer space represents a special challenge to meet. In this review we focus on the impact of microgravity on embryonic development, discussing the roles of mechanical forces in the context of the neutral buoyancy the embryo experiences in the womb. At variance with its adverse effects on the adult human body, simulated microgravity may provide a unique tool for understanding the biomechanical events involved in the development and assembly in vitro of three-dimensional (3D) ocular tissues. Prospective benefits are the development of novel safety measures to protect the human eye from cosmic radiation in microgravity during long-term manned spaceflights in the outer space, as well as the generation of human 3D-retinas with its supporting structures to develop innovative and effective therapeutic options for degenerative eye diseases.

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“…Several European instruments have been used in space for dosimetry (Reitz et al 2005;Pugliese et al 2010), for accurate measurements of the radiation spectrum behind shielding, and for science experiments that include, for instance, investigation of the correlation between particle Xuxes and light Xashes (Casolino et al 2003).…”

Section: Spacexight Dosimetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Space radiation research in Europe: flight experiments and ground-based studies

Durante

Reitz

Angerer

2010

Radiat Environ Biophys

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Exposure to space radiation has long been acknowledged as a potential showstopper for long-duration manned interplanetary missions. In an eVort to gain more information on space radiation risk and to develop countermeasures, NASA initiated several years ago a Space Radiation Health Program, which is currently supporting biological experiments performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Accelerator-based radiobiology research in the Weld of space radiation research is also under way in Russia and Japan. The European Space Agency (ESA) supports research in the Weld in three main directions: spaceXight experiments on the International Space Station; modeling and simulations of the space radiation environment and transport; and, recently, ground-based radiobiology experiments exploiting the high-energy SIS18 synchrotron at GSI in Germany (IBER program). Several experiments are currently under way within IBER, and so far, beams of C and Fe-ions at energies between 11 and 1,000 MeV/n have been used in cell and tissue targets.

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Dual origins of light flashes seen in space

Cited by 85 publications

References 6 publications

New challenges in high-energy particle radiobiology

New challenges in high-energy particle radiobiology

Microgravity, Stem Cells, and Embryonic Development: Challenges and Opportunities for 3D Tissue Generation

Space radiation research in Europe: flight experiments and ground-based studies

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