Overview Traveling in space can be dangerous for humans because of the large amounts of radiation - especially during times of extreme solar flare activity and eventual long duration crewed missions to Mars or other planets. High doses of radiation can kill cells and damage tissue, leading to cancer, cataracts, and even cause injury to the central nervous system. In an effort to learn more about how to protect space crews from the effects of radiation, monitoring devices have flown on several Space Shuttle missions and the Russian space station Mir. The measurements yielded valuable information, but it was limited to radiation doses on the external part of the body. The Bonner Ball Neutron Detector measures neutron radiation.
Neutrons are uncharged atomic particles that have the ability to penetrate living tissues.
Neutron radiation can affect the blood-forming marrow in the mineral bones of human beings and other animals. By operating the Bonner Ball in space, neutron radiation information can be collected and used for the development of safety measures to protect crew members during long duration space flights. The Control Unit controls the quality of data recorded by performing system calibrations, making adjustments and using a time stamp on the recorded neutron measurements. The Detector Unit is composed of six detector spheres that contain a form of the gas Helium where the neutron radiation is measured. Each sphere consists of a stainless steel shell which contains Helium 3 at six atmospheres pressure, and a thin wire that connects to the external electronics package.