The N ASA S pace R adiation L aboratory
being constructed at 
Brookhaven National Laboratory,
in collaboration with NASA,
will be a new experimental facility and accelerator
 required to take advantage of heavy-ion beams from the
Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) Booster accelerator
for radiation effect studies for the space Program.

Radiation fields encountered in space may cause deleterious effects in humans,
and these effects are of special concern for prolonged space missions
beyond the protective terrestrial magnetosphere.
Before such missions  can be undertaken,
a much more detailed understanding of these effects is required
to allow planning and implementation of protective countermeasure.