Neutron measurements onboard the space shuttle

Citation
Gd. Badhwar et al., Neutron measurements onboard the space shuttle, RADIAT MEAS, 33(3), 2001, pp. 235-241
Citations number
22
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science
Journal title
RADIATION MEASUREMENTS
ISSN journal
1350-4487 → ACNP
Volume
33
Issue
3
Year of publication
2001
Pages
235 - 241
Database
ISI
SICI code
1350-4487(200106)33:3<235:NMOTSS>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
The radiation environment inside a shielded volume is highly complex, consi sting of both charged and neutral particles. Since the inception of human s pace flights, the charged particle component has received virtually all of the attention. There is however, a significant production of secondary neut rons, particularly from the aluminum structure in low earth orbiting spacec rafts. The interactions of galactic cosmic rays (GCR), and solar energetic particles with the earth's atmosphere produce a non-isotropic distribution of albedo neutrons. Inside any reasonable habitable module, the average rad iation quality factor of neutrons is about 4-5 times larger than the corres ponding average quality factor of charged particles. The measurement of neu trons and their energy spectra is a difficult problem due the intense sourc es of charged particles. This paper reviews the results of Shuttle flight e xperiments (made during both solar maximum and solar minimum) to measure th e contribution of neutrons to the dose equivalent, as well as theoretical c alculations to estimate the appropriate range of neutron energies that cont ribute most to the dose equivalent. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.