Use of tissue equivalent proportional counters to characterize radiation quality on the space shuttle

Conference · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10140645

Braby, L A; Conroy, T J; Elegy, D C; Brackenbush, L W

Tissue equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) are essentially cavity ionization chambers operating at low pressure and with gas gain. A small, battery powered, TEPC spectrometer, which records lineal energy spectra at one minute intervals, has been used on several space shuttle missions. The data it has collected clearly show the South Atlantic anomaly and indicate a mean quality factor somewhat higher than expected. An improved type of instrument has been developed with sufficient memory to record spectra at 10 second intervals, and with increased resolution for low LET events. This type of instrument will be used on most future space shuttle flights and in some international experiments.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 10140645
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-19981; CONF-920431-24; ON: DE92012347
• Resource Relation: Conference: Meeting on new horizons in radiation protection and shielding,Pasco, WA (United States),26 Apr - 1 May 1992; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PROPORTIONAL COUNTERS
DESIGN
RADIATION DOSES
DOSIMETRY
SPACE SHUTTLES
SPECTROMETERS
MICROPROCESSORS
ENERGY SPECTRA
QUALITY FACTOR
440103
NUCLEAR SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION