Approximate angular distribution and spectra for geomagnetically trapped protons in low-Earth orbit

Conference · Mon May 15 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (USA)

OSTI ID:5219820

Watts, J W; Parnell, T A ^[1]; Heckman, H H ^[2]

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1. ES62, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (USA)
2. Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA)

The highly anisotropic nature of the radiation in the low-Earth orbit has been ignored for most spacecraft shielding calculations made to date because the standard environmental models describe the omnidirectional flux only, because the varying attitude of the spacecraft in the environment is assumed to average out the effect and because of the added complexity of the calculation. The Space Station is planned to be stabilized with respect to the velocity vector and local vertical. Thus it will pass through the South Atlantic Anomaly where most of the radiation flux is encountered in much the same attitude on each pass. Any calculation including a complex shielding geometry should thus consider the angular distribution of the incident radiation. An approximate trapped proton angular distribution is presented which includes both the pan caked'' distribution relative to the magnetic field direction and the east-west effect which is energy dependent. This distribution is then used with a planar shielding geometry to obtain an estimate of the effect of the anisotropy on radiation dose rates in spacecraft.

• OSTI ID: 5219820
• Report Number(s): CONF-8711149-; CODEN: APCPC; TRN: 90-002271
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (USA), Vol. 186:1; Conference: Conference on high energy radiation background in space, Sanibel Island, FL (USA), 2-5 Nov 1987; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SPACE VEHICLES
RADIATION DOSES
TRAPPED PROTONS
ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ENERGY SPECTRA
MAGNETIC SHIELDING
RADIATION EFFECTS
BARYONS
DISTRIBUTION
DOSES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
NUCLEONS
PROTONS
SHIELDING
SPECTRA
VEHICLES
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena