Feasibility study for the use-of PADC as a radiation detector for living cell cultures

In the framework of an ESA project, a microbiological experiment in space i s planned. In this experiment a cell culture will be exposed to cosmic radi ation onboard a spacecraft. Because the living cell culture will be directl y on a nuclear track detector stack, this detector will be submitted to a d ifferent environment than normally used. The temperature will be 37 degrees C and the culture will be in a biological growth medium. Tests have been c onducted to assess the possible use of PADC in these conditions. For this, a series of alpha irradiated detectors have been exposed for different peri ods of time (up to 1 month) to these 'biological' conditions. The:radiologi cal properties as well as the mechanical properties (swelling...) have been investigated. Results show no influence of the biological environment on t he PADC, which makes it useable under these circumstances.