The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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Lumina
Developed by France’s space agency CNES, Lumina is a dosimeter which measures the radiation received by the International Space Station and therefore by its crew. Inside the box are two reels of several kilometers of optical fibre, which darken when they receive ionising radiation. Then light is passed inside to measure the attenuation and deduce the radiation dose received.
Fibre optique du dosimètre Lumina
Développé par le CNES, l’agence spatiale française, Lumina est un dosimètre qui mesure les radiations reçues par la Station spatiale internationale et donc par son équipage. À l’intérieur de la boîte, deux bobines de plusieurs kilomètres de fibre optique, qui s’obscurcissent quand elles reçoivent des radiations ionisantes. Il suffit ensuite de faire passer de la lumière à l’intérieur pour mesurer son atténuation et en déduire la dose de radiation reçue.