Background

The principal focus of the Radiation & Space Biotechnologies Branch is research and technology development to protect astronauts from the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation in space. This involves the development of physical and biological measurement technologies and scientific information to support long-duration NASA missions, particularly NASA's return to the Moon and then on to Mars.

Radiation measurement technologies is high priority for NASA as well as many other government agencies, which provides excellent opportunities for crossover applications. Hence, we are developing strategic partnerships with other federal agencies, national laboratories, universities, and technology companies, to leverage core NASA investments in these areas.

The branch also has expertise in areas of medicine (hematology-oncology), physiology (hematopoiesis), and molecular biology that are highly relevant to radiation biology and health effects. The Ames Genome Research Facility, an important resource for this effort, provides high-throughput genomic tools, and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility provides bioinformatics capabilities that give us an advantage over competing institutions. Key academic partners provide expertise in the area of proteomics, which complement our in-house resources. In addition, engineering expertise within the Space Biosciences Division gives us the ability to develop and deliver practical tools to serve the needs of our customers.