Characterization of the Effects of Radiation on Skeletal and Smooth Muscle Cells

Muscular atrophy is a serious issue for extended spaceflight. Understanding and preventing the role of ionizing radiation in skeletal muscle loss would preserve the strength and endurance of astronauts and enable longer duration space travel and exploration. Irradiation was performed in the USU material physics group's Space Suvivability Test Chamber. C2C12 and CRL-1999 cells were exposed to dosages ranging from 0.5 - 36.8 Gy. Cell viability and growth rate were measured immediately following irradiation.