The goal of NASA's space radiation research is to enable the human exploration of space by understanding and limiting astronaut health risks from space radiation. The health risks of radiation during space travel may include cancer, acute radiation sickness and degenerative tissue damage, including damage to the central nervous system. The new research is designed to deliver products that will help in the development of effective shielding or biological countermeasures for radiation exposure.

The 17 projects were selected from 98 proposals received in response to a NASA and NSBRI announcement, Ground-Based Studies in Space Radiation. Scientific and technical experts from academia and government laboratories reviewed the proposals. The total potential value of the selected proposals is about $15 million.

NSBRI is a NASA-funded consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight. The institute's science, technology and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States.

Selected principal investigators, their organization and their proposal title for NASA awards are:

- Jeff Bacher, Promega Corp., A Novel Biodosimetry Method
- Janet Baulch, University of Maryland, Dose Rate Effects on the Mechanisms of Space Radiation-Induced Delayed Genomic Instability
- Joel Bedford, Colorado State University, Dose-Rate Effects and Components of Systems Governing Variations in Susceptibility for Carcinogenic and Acute Radiation Risks Following Gamma-Ray, Proton, or HZE Irradiation
- Eleanor Blakely, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Early Markers of Space Radiation-Induced Human Cataractogenesis
- Polly Chang, SRI International, Tissue-Specific Acute and Late Molecular Surveillance of Particle Radiation Effects
- Benjamin Chen, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, The Impact of HZE Particles on Adult Neural Stem Cells and Neurogenesis
- Michael Comforth, University of Texas Medical Branch, Structural Chromosome Aberrations Formed in Response to Changes in Proton Energy and Dose Rate
- Jian Zhi Hu, Battelle Memorial Institute-Pacific Northwest Division, Early Detection of Inflammatory Response and the Subsequent Health Outcomes Due to High LET Particle Radiation: An Integrated Metabolomics Study
- Charles Limoli, University of California, Irvine, Dose-Rate and Mixed Field Effects of Protons and HZE Nuclei on Oxidative Injury and Stem Cell Plasticity in the CNS
- Gregory Nelson, Loma Linda University, Epigenetic Control of Radiogenic Damage Processing in C. Elegans
- Bernard Rabin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Individual Differences in the Neurochemical and Behavioral Response to Exposure to Protons
- Kanokporn Rithidech, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dose-Rate Effects of Protons on the Induction of Genomic Instability in Vivo
- Lubomir Smilenov, Columbia University, MiRNA Profiling of Radiation Response: A Systems Biology Approach to Understanding Regulation of Proton and Heavy Ion Dose Effects
- Stefan Tafrov, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Histone Acetyltransferases and the Cellular Response to DNA Damage
- Ya Wang, Thomas Jefferson University, The Mechanism of Excess Relative Risk on Carcinogenesis Induced by High-LET Radiation

Selected principal investigators, their organization and their proposal title for NSBRI awards are:

- Thomas Borak, Colorado State University, Design of a Radiation Dosimeter for Astronauts During Lunar EVAs
- Tore Straume, NASA Ames Research Center, Small Active Dosimetry System for Lunar EVA Missions: Spacesuit and Tool-Box Applications

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