January 10, 2014

Image Caption: The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation, or CRaTER, on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has six detectors to monitor the energetic charged particles from galactic cosmic rays and solar events. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

A new NASA-backed Internet radio station from the moon may not have Miley Cyrus on its playlist or give away free concert tickets to the seventh caller, but scientists from the space agency are expecting it to be a hit with astrophysicists.

The CRaTER Live Internet Radio Station takes cosmic radiation data on a live stream from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and converts it into a constant flow of soothing cosmic music. The station has been programmed to select various instruments and pitches based on radiation levels.

Our minds love music, so this offers a pleasurable way to interface with the data, said project leader Marty Quinn of the University of New Hampshire. It also provides accessibility for people with visual impairments.

The radiation data for the station is collected from LROs Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER). CRaTER monitors the charged particles from galactic cosmic rays and solar events using an array of six detectors.

CRaTER is focused on two primary objectives: determining the interaction of cosmic radiation with a material that is like human tissue, and observing the radiations interaction with the Moon, which scientists use to explore the make-up of dust on the lunar surface.

CRaTER has discovered wide-ranging and fundamental aspects of such radiation, said Nathan Schwadron, the principal investigator for CRaTER. For example, we have discovered that tissue-equivalent plastics and other lightweight materials can provide even more effective protection than standard shielding, such as aluminum.

Each CRaTER detector registers the number of particles it receives every second. Data from these detectors are sent to CRaTER Live Radio, where a computer program translates the numbers into pitches in a four-octave scale. Six pitches are played every second, one for each detector with higher pitches signifying less activity and lower pitches indicating more activity.

Read more from the original source:

NASA's CRaTER Radio Brings Listeners The Sounds Space