Matroschka mannequin

The Matroschka mannequin was carried to ISS on board a Progress supply vehicle which was launched from Baikonur on 29 January 2004. Matroschka is an experimental facility, which will be placed on the outside of the Russian Zvezda module. It will be used to measure radiation levels experienced by astronauts in space. The facility has a human shape, consisting of a head and torso. It is made of natural bone and a synthetic material equivalent to human tissue. Sensors measuring radiation are placed at various key external and internal positions of the mannequin such as the areas of the stomach, lungs, kidney, colon and eyes. The facility will remain outside the ISS for a year. Matroshka is an ESA payload under the project leadership of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Cologne.