The main objectives of the HAMLET proposal are:

This compilation includes the contribution of the European partners (up to 90 % of the scientific data are provided by the European partners) as well as the non-European partners in the MATROSHKA project. The comprehensive experimental data intercomparison and compilation act as input for the proposed radiation transport calculations. The European partners within the HAMLET consortium all have extensive experience in either experimental assessment of the space radiation environment or radiation transport calculations. The group therefore brings together experimental and theoretical researchers working on the common goal of exploring and deepening our knowledge of space radiation effects on the human body.

Strongly interlinked with the data compilation, the build-up of an archive of data enables the community to access the measured and evaluated data from all of the participating laboratories. This is essential for the achievement of the project goal as it improves the scientific results by putting together individually collected data sets into an ’overall picture of radiation measurement data’. This effort will enable straight-forward data comparison and access.

A 3D numerical model of space radiation dose distribution within the torso-phantom, based on experimental data sets, will be developed. In parallel a 3D model will also be derived via Monte Carlo radiation transport calculations and verified against measurements. This will enable future calculations of organ and tissue doses for radiation risk assessment of personnel on long-term space missions on the ISS, as well as to the Moon and manned interplanetary missions.

The presentation of scientific data to the public is strongly emphasized within the project. Raising the public’s awareness and understanding, particularly in the well-debated field of radiation physics and radiation protection, is an essential task. The MATROSHKA experiment gives us a perfect ´tool´ by connecting the issues of ´space radiation´ and ´radiation received on human missions to the Moon and Mars´ with the human ´subjects´, especially as MATROSHKA is meant to simulate a human in the space environment. This human connection, and the possibility of generating 3D data of the distribution of dose in a human body, will be taken as input for the development of public outreach activities; a ’public’ version of the data archive will be included.