Chris Rees
About
My research project
Radiation risk assessment and management for space tourism and very high altitude aviationWithin the next decade it is likely that the Space Tourism industry will grow dramatically and the number of humans travelling into the stratosphere via commercial entities such as World View and Space Perspective will increase into the thousands. Current Space Tourism ventures focus on long duration very high altitude balloon flights; also known as ‘near space’ flights, sub-orbital flights and visits to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In the next few decades space tourism is ultimately likely to become as normal as a transatlantic flight. During these new commercial ventures the effects of cosmic radiation exposure, especially during sudden changes in space weather, such as Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) events, could have significant health implications for crew and passengers.
The risks from these rapid changes in space weather and potential radiation exposure during flights is not currently fully understood or widely realised. Legislation and regulation for such enterprises is also in its infancy with little or no guidance for commercial entities or potential passengers. The initial works at the University of Surrey have focused on very high altitude ‘near space’ balloon flights. World-wide launch locations for flights have been modelled using MAIRE and CARI-7 computer programs. Flight routes have been monitored, for current commercial and higher flight levels, using the Smart Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (SAIRA) detector. The modelled flight profiles have been compared with detector data, assessed for altitudes between 18km and 60km with varying space weather conditions, from norms to extreme events, to assess the radiation risk presented by potential exposure.
Supervisors
Within the next decade it is likely that the Space Tourism industry will grow dramatically and the number of humans travelling into the stratosphere via commercial entities such as World View and Space Perspective will increase into the thousands. Current Space Tourism ventures focus on long duration very high altitude balloon flights; also known as ‘near space’ flights, sub-orbital flights and visits to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In the next few decades space tourism is ultimately likely to become as normal as a transatlantic flight. During these new commercial ventures the effects of cosmic radiation exposure, especially during sudden changes in space weather, such as Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) events, could have significant health implications for crew and passengers.
The risks from these rapid changes in space weather and potential radiation exposure during flights is not currently fully understood or widely realised. Legislation and regulation for such enterprises is also in its infancy with little or no guidance for commercial entities or potential passengers. The initial works at the University of Surrey have focused on very high altitude ‘near space’ balloon flights. World-wide launch locations for flights have been modelled using MAIRE and CARI-7 computer programs. Flight routes have been monitored, for current commercial and higher flight levels, using the Smart Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (SAIRA) detector. The modelled flight profiles have been compared with detector data, assessed for altitudes between 18km and 60km with varying space weather conditions, from norms to extreme events, to assess the radiation risk presented by potential exposure.
Publications
Within the next decade it is likely that the space tourism industry will grow and the number of humans travelling into space via commercial entities such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, will increase significantly. Current space tourism ventures focus on short duration sub-orbital flights and visits to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In the next few decades, a journey into space could become as normal as a transatlantic flight. During these new commercial ventures, the effects of cosmic radiation exposure, especially during sudden changes in space weather, such as ground level enhancement (GLE) or solar particle events (SPEs), could have significant health implications for crew and passengers. Such changes in space weather could expose space tourists to radiation doses in excess of the recommended maximum 1 mSv yearly effective dose uptake for a member of the public and 20 mSv yearly effective dose limit for those working with radiation (ICRP Publication 103, 2007 [1]). Domestic legislation and regulation focussing on potential radiation exposure for space tourists is limited and largely untested; there is heavy focus on conventional risk and wider safety, with guidance stemming from regulation of commercial high-level flights, which are significantly different to space tourism enterprises. In this paper we consider the current domestic legislation and regulations adopted by the USA and the UK, as two examples of launch nations with legislation and regulation relating to space tourism activities. We acknowledge and consider feedback we have received from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on current regulations and topics outlined in this paper. We discuss whether current legislation and regulation offers sufficient protection for space flight participants (space tourists), and whether risk is balanced appropriately between the operators who provide space tourism services and those taking part. Finally, we discuss the routes to acceptance of the radiation risks and make recommendations for legislators, regulators and operators to support them in ensuring that the risks are managed appropriately while also supporting the development of the industry.
•MAIRE and CARI-7 modelling of cosmic radiation doses for Very High Altitude ‘Near Space’ Tourism observation balloon flights, and Space Weather enhancements.•Comparison of SAIRA radiation detector flight data and modelled Very High Altitude ‘Near Space’ Tourism flights.•Radiation risk assessment of Very High Altitude flights for a number of launch locations to a maximum flight altitude of 30 km (100,000 ft). Within the next decade it is likely that the space tourism industry will grow dramatically and the number of humans travelling into, and beyond, the stratosphere via commercial entities such as World View and Space Perspective will increase. Current space tourism ventures focus on long duration very high altitude balloon flights; also known as ‘near space’ flights, sub-orbital flights and visits to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In the next few decades space tourism is ultimately likely to become routine. During these new commercial ventures the effects of cosmic radiation exposure, especially during sudden changes in space weather, such as ground level enhancement (GLE) events, could have significant health implications for crew and passengers. The risks from these rapid changes in space weather and potential radiation exposure during flights is not currently fully understood or even acknowledged. Legislation and regulation for such enterprises is also in its infancy with little or no guidance for commercial entities or potential passengers. Initial work at the University of Surrey has focused on very high altitude ‘near space’ balloon flights. World-wide launch locations for flights have been modelled using MAIRE and CARI-7 computer programs. Flight routes have been monitored, for current commercial and higher flight levels, using the Smart Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (SAIRA) detector. The modelled flight profiles have been compared with detector data, up to a maximum flight altitude of 30 km (100,000 ft), with varying space weather conditions, from norms to extreme events, to assess the radiation risk presented by potential exposure. Plain Language Summary: An assessment of the risks and potential radiation exposure from flying to ‘near space’ within newly designed observation balloons at very high altitude in the upper atmosphere above the Earth. Looking at the impact of radiation from the sun and sources outside the solar system, and critically when these conditions vary which could result in high levels of exposure.