Phantom Torso. (Physical News).

Wanted: Volunteer on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Sound cool? Here's the job description:

Expose your body to potentially deadly doses of radiation--invisible energy waves emitted by the sun, stars, and galaxies.

Chances are, you'd rather flip burgers. Fortunately, there's Fred, the Phantom Torso--an anatomical model of a human head and upper body--and NASA's latest tool to keep astronauts safe in space.

Unlike humans, Fred is perfect for radiation abuse. During his four-month-long stint on the ISS the 3-foot-high, 95-pound doll will serve as guinea pig--with 416 internal monitoring devices that measure the amount of radiation to which ISS astronauts are commonly exposed. Fred is equipped with human bones that support plastic organs--like the heart and brain--designed to mimic real human tissue. "Fred was built from an actual autopsy body," says Gautam Badhwar, a researcher at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Until now scientists could gage radiation levels on the skin but had no way to measure radiation penetrating the body. Why is radiation so dangerous? The high energy beams can seep deep into organs, where they cause cells to malfunction. Prolonged exposure to radiation can lead to cancer, a disease caused by uncontrolled cell growth.

Astronauts experience more radiation exposure as they float above Earth's protective magnetosphere, an electrically charged field that deflects most radiation from space. Fred's sensors, called dosimeters, monitor several types of radiation, including the most deadly: Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs).

Scientists will use Fred's data to help prepare for future missions to Mars. Not bad work for a dummy. --N.D.