BTI Hosted CSA and Russian Research Partners To Mark 10 Years of Space Operations on the ISS
On February 24, 2020, Bubble Technology Industries (BTI) hosted partners from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) to mark ten years of successful operation of BTI’s original bubble detector “space mini-reader” on the International Space Station (ISS).
Since 2006, BTI has deployed its unique bubble detectors on the Space Station to measure neutron radiation and help assess the radiation risk to astronauts. These measurements have been conducted by numerous astronauts, including Canadians Robert Thirsk, Chris Hadfield, and most recently David Saint-Jacques. The bubble detectors are analyzed on-board the Space Station using BTI’s unique mini-reader to determine the radiation level at different locations in the Space Station.
The original mini-reader was jointly developed through a Canadian-Russian research collaboration and was designed and built by BTI. It was used on the Space Station from 2006 to 2016 and was recently on exhibit at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow. In the meeting, the Russian research partners returned the original mini-reader to BTI, where it will be used to support studies on the effects of long-term space deployment on the instrument. At the same time, the CSA handed over the latest set of BTI’s bubble detectors to the Russian partners for transport back to Russia and ultimately to the Space Station. For more details, please visit the myFM website news for February 28th, 2020.