Radiation dose rates in Space Shuttle as a function of atmospheric density

Abstract

Current models of the inner trapped belt describe the radiation environment at times of solar minimum and solar maximum, respectively. These two models were constructed using data acquired prior to 1970 during a small solar cycle, and no valid model for the past two high solar cycles exists. There is a clear need to accurately predict the radiation exposure of astronauts at all times between the solar minimum and solar maximum, not only on the short duration Space Shuttle flights, but on the longer term stay onboard the Mir orbital station and the planned International Space Station (ISS). An analysis of the trapped absorbed dose rate, D, at six fixed locations in the habitable volume of the Shuttle shows a power law relationship, D=Aρ − n , where ρ is the atmospheric density, ρ. The index, n, is weakly dependent on the shielding, decreasing as the average shielding increases. A better representation is provided by D=A tan −1 [( ξ− ξ c)/( ξ c− ξ m)], where ξ=ln( ρ), and A, ξ c, and ξ m are constants. ξ c is related to the atmospheric density near the altitude of atmospheric cutoff. These relationships hold over nearly four decades of density variation and throughout the solar cycle. This then provides a method of calculating absorbed dose rate at anytime in the solar cycle. These empirically derived relations were used to predict the dose rates for eleven Space Shuttle flights carried out since January 1997. The predictions are in excellent agreement with measured values. This method reduces the uncertainties of a factor of about 2 for the AP-8 MIN/MAX models to less than 30%.