RADIOISOTOPES

The ICCHIBAN project was an international collaboration to intercalibrate and intercompare the response of the different detectors and instruments used for radiation dosimetry aboard manned spacecraft. The objectives of the ICCHIBAN project were: 1) to determine the response of space radiation instruments and dosimeters to heavy ions of charge and energy similar to that found in the galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) spectrum; 2) to compare the response and sensitivity of various space radiation monitoring instruments and aid in reconciling differences in measurements made by various radiation instruments during space flight; and 3) to establish and characterize a heavy ion “reference standard” against which space radiation instruments can be calibrated. ICCHIBAN experiments were carried out at a number of particle accelerator facilities, the vast majority, eight, using the HIMAC heavy ion accelerator at the National Institute for Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan. Benefits of the ICCHIBAN project included the identification and correction of problems in calibration and data interpretation of a number of active space radiation instruments, and the demonstration of the overall efficacy and reproducibility of passive radiation dosimeters, especially luminescence-based detectors such as TLD and OSLD used in conjunction with CR-39 PNTD.