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OCR for page 1
On the Continued Operation of the BEVALAC Facility (1992)
On the Continued Operation
of the BEVALAC Facility
On August 20, 1992, Committee on Space Biology and Medicine Chair
Fred W. Turek and Space Studies Board Chair Louis J. Lanzerotti sent the
following letter to the Honorable James D. Watkins, U.S. Secretary of Energy,
and NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin.
On May 14, 1992, the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine
(CSBM) of the Space Studies Board (SSB) was briefed by the acting director of
NASA's Life Sciences Division, Mr. Joseph K. Alexander, concerning various
issues and activities in which the division is engaged. Among the issues raised
was the impending decommissioning of the BEVALAC at the Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory as outlined in correspondence from Dr. David Hendrie, director of the
Department of Energy's Division of Nuclear Physics. Subsequently, the CSBM
discussed this issue with the Board at its meeting in Huntsville, Alabama, in June.
The Board and the CSBM are in agreement with a host of advisory
committees' recommendations concerning the importance of gaining a better
understanding of the biological effects of high Z element (HZE high-energy)
ATTACHMENT 1
particles.1 Critical to planning for extended human sojourns in deep space is
ATTACHMENT 2
quantitative knowledge about the dose rates and types of radiation that will be
ATTACHMENT 3
encountered and the related biological effects.
The SSB and CSBM are concerned about the closing of the BEVALAC
given that there is no alternative facility at which to continue the radiobiological
research conducted as part of this country's goal of expanding the human
presence in space. This facility is the only accelerator in the United States
capable of producing the spectrum of energies required for research concerning
the physical and biological effects of the heavy ions that will be encountered
during deep-space missions. Providing adequate shielding against radiation and
taking other measures to protect astronauts during deep-space travel are directly
dependent on information derived from research concerning the biological effects
of protons and HZE particles.
It is our understanding that even if funding for an alternative facility were
provided today, there would be at least a five-year hiatus before suitable beams
could become available. An interruption of the radiobiological research currently
under way at the BEVALAC would have a number of deleterious effects on this
well-established program that is a critical component of the national goal of
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OCR for page 2
On the Continued Operation of the BEVALAC Facility (1992)
human space exploration. Research teams that have been assembled to conduct
this work would disperse and transfer to other areas of research. The flow of
valuable long-term data derived from the BEVALAC studies would cease. Thus it
would be necessary to start all over with new research animals, when another
accelerator became available, in order to obtain data from repeated, increasingly
longer periods of exposure—a condition absolutely crucial to this type of
research. Finally, losing this capability would seriously damage the research
program of the recently established NASA Specialized Center for Research and
Training (NSCORT) in Space Radiation Health at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
and contribute to the loss of expertise in basic radiobiological research—an
outcome that would be contrary to the conclusion reached in NASA's Space
Radiation Health Program Plan.2
There is an acute need for additional well-trained and well-
qualified researchers in space radiation physics and biology. A
continuous supply of trained space researchers needs to be
developed and adequate numbers of trained personnel need to be
available to enable program expansion. (p. 30)
Various heavy-ion facilities exist worldwide that could, theoretically,
support the type of space-related research under way at Berkeley. However, the
SSB and CSBM have no evidence that any of these facilities could be made
available to support NASA's HZE radiation research program. The BNL Booster
at Brookhaven National Laboratory has limited capability, and no beam time will
be available until a new irradiation facility is built. The Darmstadt accelerator has
provisions for cell research but not for animal research, and beam time at the
facility is currently oversubscribed by a factor of two. The JINR at Dubna has
obsolete equipment, low beam intensity, and beam contamination—significant
limiting factors. The Synchrophasotron at Saclay has no provisions for conducting
animal or cell research, and at least a year would be required to prepare the
facility to provide iron beams. Beams generated at the facility at Geneva are
beyond the energy range required by NASA researchers. Finally, the accelerator
at Chiba is not yet in operation and will not produce iron ion particles.
Understanding that the NASA-sponsored research at the BEVALAC may
be relatively minor in the context of the Department of Energy's (DOE) overall
mission, the SSB and CSBM believe that the decision to decommission this
facility should be considered in the context of the importance of the BEVALAC to
the U.S. space program—one in which DOE plays an increasing role.3 Until a
suitable alternative can be provided that supports research related to long-term
plans for human space exploration, the SSB and CSBM urge that the BEVALAC
remain available to NASA researchers. Given the importance of the
radiobiological research conducted at the BEVALAC and its fundamental role in
realizing the national goal of human space exploration, the SSB and CSBM
strongly recommend that DOE and NASA agree on a means for continuing
without interruption the capability now provided by the BEVALAC.
1Attachments citing 14 supporting statements drawn from internal NASA and
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OCR for page 3
On the Continued Operation of the BEVALAC Facility (1992)
advisory documents and NRC reports accompanied the original correspondence;
they are appended to the letter.
2Space Radiation Health Program Plan, Life Support Branch, Life Sciences
Division, NASA, Washington, D.C., November 1991.
3National Space Policy Directive for Space Exploration Initiative Strategy, Section
III, paragraphs c and d, March 13, 1992.
ATTACHMENT 1—Letter from DOE
ATTACHMENT 2—Excerpts and Recommendations Concerning
Biological Effects of Radiation Exposure
ATTACHMENT 3—Selected Reports Concerning Radiation Research
and Humans in Space
Last update 8/22/00 at 12:26 pm
Site managed by Anne Simmons, Space Studies Board
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