Although cosmic radiation exposure may be reduced by careful mission design and constructive measures, it still seems to be the most essential constraint for extended human presence in space. When the incident radiation penetrates the spacecraft hull structure, it undergoes a number of nuclear interactions by which a complex secondary radiation field of charged and uncharged particles is produced. Accurate risk evaluation depends on the degree of knowledge of the physical characteristics of the radiation climate inside the space vehicle. The proposed experiment is a multi-lateral research effort to determine absorbed dose, particle flux density and energy spectra for differently shielded locations inside the European Columbus module of the International Space Station using passive and active radiation sensors. Passive dosimetry is also implemented in Expose-EuTEF, a research platform mounted outside Columbus. Application of a variety of detector systems allows for cross-calibration of the measurements. Fragmentation of the incident cosmic-ray particle spectrum shall be investigated using plastic nuclear track detectors. The gained know-how will support the improvement of existing particle transport algorithms and constitute essential information to the refinement of radiation protection standards for human spaceflight. The developed prototype area dosimeter could later be implemented into Columbus operational dosimetry and would hence indirectly lead to an improvement of the economic impact.
