Radiation measurements aboard NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft with the Liulin-4J portable spectrometer.

The risks to aircrew health posed by prolonged exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation at aircraft altitudes have recently received renewed attention. Civil and military aircraft currently on the drawing board are expected to operate at higher altitudes (>12 km) and fly longer ranges than do existing aircraft, thereby exposing their crews to higher levels of ionizing radiation, for longer periods of time. We are currently carrying out dosimetric measurements of the ionizing radiation environment at approximately 20 km altitude using portable Si detectors aboard NASA's two ER-2 high altitude research aircraft. The instruments, Liulin-4J, have been extensively calibrated at several particle accelerators. With these instruments, we can measure not only absorbed dose, but also variation of the absorbed dose as a function of time. We report radiation dose measurements as function of time, altitude, and latitude for several ER-2 missions.     

A new dynamical atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) model for epidemiological studies.

A new Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR) model is currently being developed for use in radiation dose evaluation in epidemiological studies targeted to atmospheric flight personnel such as civilian airlines crewmembers. The model will allow computing values for biologically relevant parameters, e.g. dose equivalent and effective dose, for individual flights from 1945. Each flight is described by its actual three dimensional flight profile, i.e. geographic coordinates and altitudes varying with time. Solar modulated primary particles are filtered with a new analytical fully angular dependent geomagnetic cut off rigidity model, as a function of latitude, longitude, arrival direction, altitude and time. The particle transport results have been obtained with a technique based on the three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport code FLUKA, with a special procedure to deal with HZE particles. Particle fluxes are transformed into dose-related quantities and then integrated all along the flight path to obtain the overall flight dose. Preliminary validations of the particle transport technique using data from the AIR Project ER-2 flight campaign of measurements are encouraging. Future efforts will deal with modeling of the effects of the aircraft structure as well as inclusion of solar particle events.     

Calculations and observations of solar particle enhancements to the radiation environment at aircraft altitudes.

Solar particle events can give greatly enhanced radiation at aircraft altitudes, but are both difficult to predict and to calculate retrospectively. This enhanced radiation can give significant dose to aircrew and greatly increase the rate of single event effects in avionics. Validation of calculations is required but only very few events have been measured in flight. The CREAM detector on Concorde detected the event of 29 September 1989 and also four periods of enhancement during the events of 19-24 October 1989. Instantaneous rates were enhanced by up to a factor ten compared with quiet-time cosmic rays, while flight-averages were enhanced by up to a factor six. Calculations are described for increases in radiation at aircraft altitudes using solar particle spectra in conjunction with Monte Carlo radiation transport codes. In order to obtain solar particle spectra with sufficient accuracy over the required energy range it is necessary to combine space data with measurements from a wide range of geomagnetically dispersed, ground-level neutron monitors. Such spectra have been obtained for 29 September 1989 and 24 October 1989 and these are used to calculate enhancements that are compared with the data from CREAM on Concorde. The effect of cut-off rigidity suppression by geomagnetic activity is shown to be significant. For the largest event on record on 23 February 1956, there are no space data but there are data from a number of ground-level cosmic-ray detectors. Predictions for all events show very steep dependencies on both latitude and altitude. At high latitude and altitude (17 km) calculated increases with respect to cosmic rays are a factor 70 and 500 respectively for 29 September 1989 and 23 February 1956. The levels of radiation for high latitude, subsonic routes are calculated, using London to Los Angeles as an example, and can exceed 1 mSv, which is significantly higher than for Concorde routes from Europe to New York. The sensitivity of the calculations to spectral fitting, geomagnetic activity and other assumptions demonstrates the requirement for widespread carriage of radiation monitors on aircraft.     

Assessing exposure to cosmic radiation on board aircraft.

The assessment of exposure to cosmic radiation on board aircraft is one of the preoccupations of organizations responsible for radiation protection. The cosmic radiation particle flux increases with altitude and latitude and depends on the solar activity. The radiation exposure has been estimated on several airlines using transatlantic, Siberian and transequatorial routes on board subsonic and supersonic aircraft, to illustrate the effect of these parameters. Measurements have been obtained with a tissue equivalent proportional counter using the microdosimetric technique. Data have been collected at maximum solar activity in 1991-92 and at minimum in 1996-98. The lowest mean dose rate measured was 3 microSv/h during a Paris-Buenos Aires flight in 1991; the highest was 6.6 microSv/h during a Paris-Tokyo flight using a Siberian route and 9.7 microSv/h on Concorde in 1996-97. The mean quality factor is around 1.8. The corresponding annual effective dose, based on 700 hours of flight for subsonic aircraft and 300 hours for Concorde, can be estimated between 2 mSv for least-exposed routes and 5 mSv for more exposed routes.     

Effect of “Noisy” sun conditions on aircrew radiation exposure

In computer codes used to estimate the aircrew radiation exposure from galactic cosmic radiation, a quiet sun model is usually assumed. A revised computer code (PCAIRE ver. 8.0f) is used to calculate the impact of noisy sun conditions on aircrew radiation exposure. The revised code incorporates the effect of solar storm activity, which can perturb the geomagnetic field lines, altering cutoff rigidities and hence the shielding capability of the Earth’s magnetic field. The effect of typical solar storm conditions on aircrew radiation exposure is shown to be minimal justifying the usual assumptions.     

Viewing radiation signatures of solar energetic particles in interplanetary space

A current serious limitation on the studies of solar energetic particle (SEP) events is that their properties in the inner heliosphere are studied only through in situ spacecraft observations. Our understanding of spatial distributions and temporal variations of SEP events has come through statistical studies of many such events over several solar cycles. In contrast, flare SEPs in the solar corona can be imaged through their radiative and collisional interactions with solar fields and particles. We suggest that the heliospheric SEPs may also interact with heliospheric particles and fields to produce signatures which can be remotely observed and imaged. A challenge with any such candidate signature is to separate it from that of flare SEPs. The optimum case for imaging high-energy (E > 100 MeV) heliospheric protons may be the emission of π⁰-decay γ-rays following proton collisions with solar wind (SW) ions. In the case of E > 1 MeV electrons, gyrosynchrotron radio emission may be the most readily detectible remote signal. In both cases we may already have observed one or two such events. Another radiative signature from nonthermal particles may be resonant transition radiation, which has likely already been observed from solar flare electrons. We discuss energetic neutrons as another possible remote signature, but we rule out γ-ray line and 0.511 MeV positron annihilation emission as observable signatures of heliospheric energetic ions. We are already acquiring global signatures of large inner-heliospheric SW density features and of heliosheath interactions between the SW and interstellar neutral ions. By finding an appropriate observable signature of remote heliospheric SEPs, we could supplement the in situ observations with global maps of energetic SEP events to provide a comprehensive view of SEP events.     

Controllable passive detectors for study of the radiation environment in space and the atmosphere

We propose to study the radiation environment on board different flight vehicles: cosmos-type satellites, orbital stations, Space Shuttles and civil (sonic and supersonic) aircraft. These investigations will be carried out with single type of passive detector, namely, nuclear photoemulsions (NPE) with adjustable threshold of particle detection within broad range of linear energy transfer (LET) that is done by means of the technique of selective development of NPE exposed in space.

These investigations will allow one to determine:

• integral spectra of LET of charged particles of cosmic ray (CR) over a wide range from 2.0 to 5×10⁴ MeV/cm in biological tissue;

• differential energy spectra of fast neutrons (1–20 MeV);

• estimation of absorbed and equivalent doses from charged and neutral component CR;

• charge and energy spectra of low energy nuclei (E≤100 MeV) with Z≥2 having in view the extreme hazard radiation to biological objects and microelectronic schemes taken on board inside and outside of these different flight vehicles with exposures from several days to several months.

The investigation of radiation environment on board the airplanes depending on the flight parameters will be conducted using emulsions of different sensitivity without any controlling of threshold sensitivity (Akopova et al., 1996). The proposed detector can be used in the joint experiments on the new International Cosmic Station “Alpha”.     

Space weather and commercial airlines

Space weather phenomena can effect many areas of commercial airline operations including avionics, communications and GPS navigation systems. Of particular importance at present is the recently introduced EU legislation requiring the monitoring of aircrew radiation exposure, including any variations at aircraft altitudes due to solar activity. With the introduction of new ultra-long-haul “over-the-pole” routes, “more-electric” aircraft in the future, and the increasing use of satellites in the operation, the need for a better understanding of the space weather impacts on future airline operations becomes all the more compelling. This paper will present the various space weather effects, some provisional results of an ongoing 3-year study to monitor cosmic radiation in aircraft, and conclude by summarising some of the identified key operational issues, which must be addressed, with the help of the science community, if the airlines want to benefit from the availability of space weather services.     

Computation of radiation environment during ground level enhancements 65, 69 and 70 at equatorial region and flight altitudes

The radiation environment in the troposphere of the Earth is governed by cosmic rays of galactic and solar origin. During major solar energetic particles events the radiation environment changes dramatically. As a results the risk of biological effects due to exposure to ionizing radiation of aircrew increases. Here we present a numerical model for computation of absorbed dose in air due to cosmic rays of galactic and solar origin. It is applied for computation of radiation environment at flight altitude in the equatorial region during several major ground level enhancements, namely GLE65 on 28 October 2003, GLE69 on 20 January 2005 and GLE70 on 13 December 2006. The model is based on a full Monte Carlo simulation of cosmic ray induced atmospheric cascade. The cascade simulation is carried out with CORSIKA 6.990 code with corresponding hadron generators FLUKA 2011 and QGSJET II. The contribution of different cascade components, namely electromagnetic, hadron and muon is explicitly obtained. The spectra of arriving solar energetic particles are calculated from ground level measurements with neutron monitors and satellite data from GOES. The obtained results are discussed.     

World-wide radiation dosage calculations for air crew members.

A greatly improved version of the computer program to calculate radiation dosage to air crew members is now available. Designated CARI-6, this program incorporates an updated geomagnetic cutoff rigidity model and a revision of the primary cosmic ray spectrum based on recent work by Gaisser and Stanev (1998). We believe CARI-6 provides the most accurate available method for calculating the radiation dosage to air crew members. The program is now utilized by airline companies around the world and provides unification for subsequent world-wide studies on the effects of natural radiation on aircrew members.     

基于Flowmaster的运输机供氧系统仿真

研究运输机供氧系统,建立相应的系统仿真模型,对整个管网系统中氧气的流动及分配进行仿真分析.系统由高压氧源、机组供氧点和座舱乘员供氧点3部分组成,各部分分别建模,然后集成系统;为了方便设计者针对不同的管路布置进行系统仿真分析,利用Flowmaster的外部元件模块开发出了氧气系统特有的元件,包括氧气调节器、减压器和快戴式氧气面罩;在某任务航程下利用此仿真模型对氧气系统进行了仿真计算,得到各气瓶耗氧量和各供氧点氧气流量的变化情况,验证了系统是否满足设计需求.     

Flight safety implications of the extreme solar proton event of 23 February 1956

There is considerable speculation about the effects at aircraft altitudes resulting from extreme solar proton events. The ground level event (GLE) of 23 February 1956 (GLE 5), remains the largest solar proton event of the neutron monitor era in terms of its influence on count rates at monitors near sea level. During this GLE the count rate was increased by as much as 4760% (15-min average) at the Leeds monitor relative to the count rate from galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). Two modern models of the event cumulative solar proton spectrum for this event, a 6-parameter fit in energy and a 4-parameter Band fit in rigidity, are compared with 1-h of GCR at solar minimum. While effective doses calculated with CARI-7A for both models at low geomagnetic cutoff rigidities are indeed high when compared with GCR and can exceed recommended exposure limits, both GLE spectra exhibit a much stronger dependence on cutoff rigidity than GCR, and a larger fraction of the dose from neutrons. At locations with cutoff rigidities above 4.2 and 6.4?GV, respectively, the GLE effective doses are smaller than the GCR hourly dose. At locations with cutoff rigidities above about 4?GV, GCR was the dominant source of exposure in 10?h or less at all altitudes examined. This suggests that if a similar event occurs in the future, low- and mid-latitude flights at modern jet flight altitudes could be well-protected by Earth’s magnetic field.     

Recent results form measurements of the energy spectrum of cosmic-ray induced neutrons aboard an ER-2 airplane and on the ground.

Crews of future high-altitude commercial aircraft may be significantly exposed to atmospheric cosmic radiation from galactic cosmic rays (GCR). To help determine such exposures, the Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation Project, an international collaboration of 15 laboratories, made simultaneous radiation measurements with 14 instruments on a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. The primary instrument was a sensitive extended-energy multisphere neutron spectrometer, which was also used to make measurements on the ground. Its detector responses were calculated for neutrons and charged hadrons at energies up to 100 GeV using the radiation transport code MCNPX. We have now recalculated the detector responses including the effects of the airplane structure. We are also using new FLUKA calculations of GCR-induced hadron spectra in the atmosphere to correct for spectrometer counts produced by charged hadrons. Neutron spectra are unfolded from the corrected measured count rates using the MAXED code. Results for the measured cosmic-ray neutron spectrum (thermal to >10 GeV), total neutron fluence rate, and neutron dose equivalent and effective dose rates, and their dependence on altitude and geomagnetic cutoff generally agree well with results from recent calculations of GCR-induced neutron spectra.     

Energetic particle acceleration by coronal mass ejections

The current paradigm for the source of large, gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events is that theyare accelerated in coronal/interplanetary shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Early studies established that there is a rough correlation between the logs of the CME speed and the logs of the SEP intensities. Here I review two topics challenging the basic paradigm, the recent discovery that CMEs are also associated with impulsive, high-Z rich SEP events and the search for gradual SEP sources other than CME-driven shocks. I then discuss three topics of recent interest dealing with the relationship between the shock or CME properties and the resulting SEP events. These are the roles that CME accelerations, interactions between fast and preceding slow CMEs, and widths of fast CMEs may play in SEP production.     

A study on radio-loud interacting/non-interacting CMEs-associated SEPs and solar flares

We have established a data set of 58 major hybrid SEP events associated with meter-to-decahectometer wavelength (m-to-DH) type II bursts, solar flares, and radio-load CMEs during the period of 1997–2014. The main focus of our study is to address the following two questions: Does the interaction of CMEs play a role in the enhancement of SEP intensity? Is there any difference in the seed population, and parent eruptions in the SEP events with and without CME interactions? Hence, the sample of 58 events is classified into two sets: (i) 35 non-interacting-CME-associated SEP events; (ii) 23 interacting-CME-associated SEP events. All the characteristics of SEPs, their associated CMEs/flares and the relationships between them are statistically analyzed and compared. Some of the basic attributes and relative elemental abundances (Fe/O ratios) of the both the sets are also compared. The results indicate that the seed particles in non-interacting-CME-associated SEP events are mostly from solar wind/coronal materials. But in the case of interacting-CME-associated SEP events, it may be associated with both flare material from preceding flares and coronal materials from solar wind/preceding CMEs. The correlation studies reveal that there are clear correlations between logarithmic peak intensity of SEP events and properties of CMEs (space speed: cc?=?0.56) and solar flares (peak intensity: cc?=?0.40; integrated flux: cc?=?0.52) for non-interacting-CME-associated SEP events. But these correlations are absent for the interacting-CME-associated events. In addition, the results suggest that interaction of primary CMEs with their preceding CMEs plays an important role in the enhancement of peak intensity of SEPs at least for a set of m-to-DH type II bursts associated SEP events.     

太阳辐射对环火段通信链路的影响分析及参数设计

深空探测的上合阶段(superior solar conjunction,SSC),太阳强辐射成为影响地面站接收噪声温度计算分析的关键性因素之一。针对太阳辐射引起的高传输误码率甚至通信中断问题,以火星探测为例,提出一种定量化计算环火段太阳 地面站 探测器夹角∠SEP的方法,结合角度关系分析了环火段SSC阶段太阳对链路产生影响的原因,重点分析了地面站接收太阳噪声温度与空间链路、空口参数以及天线波束特性之间的关系。研究及仿真试验表明,当天线口径一定时,地面站的接收噪温峰值Tsmax和太阳对地面站的影响时长ti均与通信频率成反比; 在通信频率一定时,Tsmax与天线口径成正比,t_i与天线口径成反比;当天线口径固定为34m时,S频段下的Tsmax高达12830K,是Ka频段下的1.8倍,S频段的ti比Ka频段下的ti表现在∠SEP上延长近0.5°。当通信频率固定为S频段时,70m口径天线与18m口径天线相比,Tsmax高出1920K,但是ti表现在∠SEP上缩短约0.53°。结合太阳辐射对通信链路的影响分析,给出了不同∠SEP下的链路参数设计建议,为火星探测链路中的参数设置提供参考。     

Some radiation environment estimation data from 10–12 km altitude aircraft

The results of probing the radiation environment on board different civil aviation planes with singletype detectors (nuclear emulsions), with particular emphasis to the cosmic radiation flux measured inside aircraft, are presented. The measurement results make it possible to find the absorbed and equivalent doses induced by the cosmic radiation neutrons and charged particles.     

Energetic particle environment in near-Earth orbit.

The hazard of exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation is one of the primary concerns of extended manned space missions and a continuous threat for the numerous spacecraft in operation today. In the near-Earth environment the main sources of radiation are solar energetic particles (SEP), galactic cosmic rays (GCR), and geomagnetically trapped particles, predominantly protons and electrons. The intensity of the SEP and GCR source depends primarily on the phase of the solar cycle. Due to the shielding effect of the Earth's magnetic field, the observed intensity of SEP and GCR particles in a near-Earth orbit will also depend on the orbital parameters altitude and inclination. The magnetospheric source strength depends also on these orbital parameters because they determine the frequency and location of radiation belt passes. In this paper an overview of the various sources of radiation in the near-Earth orbit will be given and first results obtained with the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) will be discussed. SAMPEX was launched on 3 July 1992 into a near polar (inclination 82 degrees) low altitude (510 x 675 km) orbit. The SAMPEX payload contains four separate instruments of high sensitivity covering the energy range 0.5 to several hundred MeV/nucleon for ions and 0.4 to 30 MeV for electrons. This low altitude polar orbit with zenith-oriented instrumentation provides a new opportunity for a systematic study of the near-Earth energetic particle environment.     

The features of radiation dose variations onboard ISS and Mir space station: comparative study.

The dynamics of the ISS-measured radiation dose variations since August 2000 is studied. Use is made of the data obtained with the R-16 instrument, which consists of two ionization chambers behind different shielding thicknesses. The doses recorded during solar energetic particle (SEP) events are compared with the data obtained also by R-16 on Mir space station. The SEP events in the solar maximum of the current cycle make a much smaller contribution to the radiation dose compared with the October 1989 event recorded on Mir space station. In the latter event, the proton intensity was peaking during a strong magnetic storm. The storm-time effect of solar proton geomagnetic cutoff decreases on dose variations is estimated. The dose variations on Mir space stations due to formation of a new radiation belt of high-energy protons and electrons during a sudden commencement of March 24, 1991 storm are also studied. It was for the first time throughout the ISS and Mir dose measurement period that the counting rates recorded by both R-16 channels on ISS in 2001-2002 were nearly the same during some time intervals. This effect may arise from the decreases of relativistic electron fluxes in the outer radiation belt.