DOsimetry of BIological EXperiments in SPace (DOBIES) with luminescence (OSL and TL) and track etch detectors

The effects of the complex radiation field in space, consisting of protons, neutrons, electrons and high-energy heavy charged particles, on biological samples are high interest in the fields of radiobiology and exobiology. Radiation doses absorbed by biological samples must be quantified to be able to determine the relationship between observed biological effects and the radiation dose. special techniques and correction methods combining luminescence detector and track etched detectors are required due to the presence of particles with a wide range of LET(Linear Energy Transfer) values. The DOBIES (Dosimetry of of biological experiments in space) project focusses on the development of a standard dosimetric method (as a combination of different techniques) to measure accurately the absorbed doses and equivalent doses in biological samples. We will report on the first efforts in this project, where different types of passive detectors have been exposed on the international Space Station during one mission in 2006. These results are compared with earlier similar missions.