Combined Environment Simulator for Low-Dose-Rate Radiation and Partial Gravity of Moon and Mars
Akihisa Takahashi,
Sakuya Yamanouchi,
Kazuomi Takeuchi,
Shogo Takahashi,
Mutsumi Tashiro,
Jun Hidema,
Atsushi Higashitani,
Takuya Adachi,
Shenke Zhang,
Fady Nagy Lotfy Guirguis,
Yukari Yoshida,
Aiko Nagamatsu,
Megumi Hada,
Kunihito Takeuchi,
Tohru Takahashi,
Yuji Sekitomi
Affiliations
Akihisa Takahashi
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Sakuya Yamanouchi
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Kazuomi Takeuchi
Matsuo Industries, Inc., 27-1, Ida, Kitasaki-machi, Obu, Aichi 474-0001, Japan
Shogo Takahashi
Matsuo Industries, Inc., 27-1, Ida, Kitasaki-machi, Obu, Aichi 474-0001, Japan
Mutsumi Tashiro
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Jun Hidema
Division for the Establishment of Frontier Sciences of the Organization for Advanced Studies, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
Atsushi Higashitani
Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
Takuya Adachi
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Shenke Zhang
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Fady Nagy Lotfy Guirguis
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Yukari Yoshida
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Aiko Nagamatsu
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tsukuba Space Center, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
Megumi Hada
Radiation Institute for Science & Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX 77446, USA
Kunihito Takeuchi
Matsuo Industries, Inc., 27-1, Ida, Kitasaki-machi, Obu, Aichi 474-0001, Japan
Tohru Takahashi
Matsuo Industries, Inc., 27-1, Ida, Kitasaki-machi, Obu, Aichi 474-0001, Japan
Yuji Sekitomi
Matsuo Industries, Inc., 27-1, Ida, Kitasaki-machi, Obu, Aichi 474-0001, Japan
Deep space exploration by humans has become more realistic, with planned returns to the Moon, travel to Mars, and beyond. Space radiation with a low dose rate would be a constant risk for space travelers. The combined effects of space radiation and partial gravity such as on the Moon and Mars are unknown. The difficulty for such research is that there are no good simulating systems on the ground to investigate these combined effects. To address this knowledge gap, we developed the Simulator of the environments on the Moon and Mars with Neutron irradiation and Gravity change (SwiNG) for in vitro experiments using disposable closed cell culture chambers. The device simulates partial gravity using a centrifuge in a three-dimensional clinostat. Six samples are exposed at once to neutrons at a low dose rate (1 mGy/day) using Californium-252 in the center of the centrifuge. The system is compact including two SwiNG devices in the incubator, one with and one without radiation source, with a cooling function. This simulator is highly convenient for ground-based biological experiments because of limited access to spaceflight experiments. SwiNG can contribute significantly to research on the combined effects of space radiation and partial gravity.