Radiobiological risk and single event effects during manned space flights

Radiation hazard during previous manned space flights was not a critical problem as seen from monitoring on board MIR and the SHUTTLE. Future Martian and Lunar missions as well as flights on inclined or high altitude orbits around the Earth can be exposed to a large radiobiological risk and critical reliability losses can be expected, due to Single Event Effects on VLSI devices.

The mains characteristics of these hazards and some counter-measures to be provided for are given.