Washington: NASA has selected 12 grants to be funded through its most recent research announcement for opportunities in space radiobiology research. This ground-based research will be performed at NASA's Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Researchers will use beams of high-energy heavy ions to simulate space radiation.NASA's Space Radiation Program will fund the 12 proposals to study radiation effects linked to two or more cancer development processes. The goal is to understand better the underlying mechanisms of the cancer's development and risks from chronic radiation exposure in space. This includes risks to the central nervous system during long-duration space missions.
Eleven institutions in eight states and the District of Columbia will receive a total of about $12 million over a one- to four-year period. Scientific and technical experts from academia and government reviewed the proposals.