Space radiation-associated lung injury in a murine model.

Despite considerable progress in identifying health risks to crewmembers related to exposure to galactic/cosmic rays and solar particle events (SPE) during space travel, its long-term effects on the pulmonary system are unknown. We used a murine risk projection model to investigate the impact of exposure to space-relevant radiation (SR) on the lung. C3H mice were exposed to (137)Cs gamma rays, protons (acute, low-dose exposure mimicking the 1972 SPE), 600 MeV/u (56)Fe ions, or 350 MeV/u (28)Si ions at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory.