NASA's Blast Test Dummy Ready to Catch Some Rays

Leave it to rocket scientists to crank the concept of crash test dummy up a few notches.

NASA scientists have developed an artificial astronaut test subject, made in part from actual human bone and blood cells, to better understand the effects of solar and cosmic radiation on space travelers.

A trip into space requires leaving far behind more than a home, friends and loved ones. It also involves leaving behind the protection of the planet's magnetic field against incoming radiation.

By subjecting the engineered test subject to high level doses of radiation and by monitoring the effects on the blood and bone tissue, researchers aim to better understand and manage the radiological risks of space travel.

The longer stays in space that would be required of moon colonization or a trip to Mars — quite possibly the stuff of near-future space travel — would certainly involve greater radiation exposure. But even an unanticipated short-lived solar flare occurring during space travel as we currently witness it could have dire consequences for an astronaut's health. NASA aims to use their findings to better protect their human charges.

NASA Chief Scientist Francis Cucinotta explains the high-tech dummy's design and research purpose:

"We put blood cells in small tubes in the stomach and in some places in the bone marrow ... one of the questions we have is whether the less shielded parts of the bone marrow will be [much harder hit]," which could conceivably put exposed individuals at greater risk for developing cancer or leukemia. 

Matroshka, the "Phantom Torso," as he has been named by his NASA creators, was unfortunately not available for comment.