'Matroshka' measures dose outside Space Station

摘要

Both of the current crew members at the International Space Station (ISS) performed a spacewalk on February 26, marking the first time that nobody was left inside the ISS during a job on the outside. This situation, brought about in part by the suspension of shuttle flights from the United States in the wake of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident last year, is not ideal for the ISS, but during this spacewalk, the crew members-Alexander Kaleri and Michael Foale-at least were able to set in motion a project that should help present and future space travelers maintain good health. Kaleri and Foale installed on the outside of the ISS the Matroshka experiment, which is in effect a space-suited torso dummy that will record the long-term effects of exposure to radiation from Earth's radiation belts, the sun, and cosmic sources.