ISS TEPC: Space Radiation Dose and Particle Track Measurements

Real-time measurements of absorbed dose and particle path lengths from the International Space Station's Position Sensitive-Tissue Equivalent Proportional Chamber (PS-TEPC). The data is produced by NASA to assess radiation risk to crew members from Galactic Cosmic Rays, Solar Particle Events, and trapped protons. The detector uses a tissue-equivalent time projection chamber with a 2D position sensor to acquire 3D particle tracks and energy.

Use Cases

• Modeling real-time radiation dose for astronauts based on measured absorbed dose and Linear Energy Transfer (LET).
• Analyzing space radiation particle composition and energy distribution based on 3D track data.
• Assessing biological risk from space radiation by correlating measured equivalent doses with human tissue models.

Strengths

• Data is collected by a specialized instrument (PS-TEPC) designed for biological tissue-equivalent measurements.
• Measures multiple critical radiation parameters simultaneously: absorbed dose, path length, LET, and equivalent dose.
• Targets a high-risk environment where dose rates are hundreds of times greater than on Earth.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal and orbital bias inherent to its collection on the ISS.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Position Sensitive-Tissue Equivalent Proportional Chamber (PS-TEPC, Serial Number 1003) instrument.

Time Range

Real-time measurements at 10-second intervals.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:05:49.785624; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Low Earth Orbit (LEO), specifically the International Space Station.