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 When astronauts set out to explore Mars, WSU Tri-Cities professor Tony Brooks wants them to make the journey in good health. |
 When astronauts set out to explore Mars, WSU Tri-Cities professor Tony Brooks wants them to make the journey in good health. With the help of a three-year grant, Brooks is studying the effect of cosmic radiation on chromosomes and the implications for cancer induction during long space flights. “So far [space] flights have not been that long in duration, and doses [of cosmic radiation] have been relatively low,” says Brooks from his new laboratory in the Hanford 300 area. “But space flight over a few years changes things. NASA needs to know how much shielding to apply to a spacecraft,” he says. For instance, a journey to Mars may expose astronauts to large doses of radiation from high-energy cosmic particles. When astronauts first went into space, they recorded seeing flashes of light which were later discovered to be caused by radioactive particles traveling through the eye and triggering a nerve response. It’s that type of exposure over time that may cause long-term health effects such as cancer, Brooks says. To simulate the effects of cosmic radiation on human tissue, Brooks and other researchers use an accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory to expose rats to high-energy radiation particles. Cells from the exposed rats are sent to WSU Tri-Cities for testing. Brooks and his lab assistant, Lia Wetzstein, look for damage by comparing cultures of exposed cells to cultures made before exposure. By studying the cells’ chromosomes, they can determine what has changed and how much damage was done to the cells. Brooks is particularly interested in the cells from the respiratory tract, because of the prevalence of lung cancer. His research will focus on why lung cells often become cancerous but trachea cells don’t. This will help to guide NASA as it develops a plan for long-term space flight to Mars and beyond. — Stacy Hall |
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