Analysis of the charged particle radiation effect for a CubeSat transiting from Earth to Mars

This paper presents a computational estimation of the total ionizing dose from protons and electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere and interplanetary space for a hypothetical CubeSat transiting from Earth to Mars. An initial hyperbolic escape of the spacecraft from Earth's gravitation is assumed, followed by an elliptical transfer from Earth to Mars under the Sun's gravitation. The rapid traversal of the Earth's radiation belt yields a smaller ionizing dose, whereas high-energy solar protons in the interplanetary space have the greatest effect on the ionizing dose during the transfer between the planets. Variation in the heliocentric distance of the spacecraft is considered in the calculation. Calculation of the shielding distributions with Geant4 and the transport of the ionizing particles across the obtained distributions yields an estimation of the total ionizing dose as a function of position within the spacecraft as well as statistical confidence levels. With a moderate confidence level, this calculation shows that a practical exploration of Mars with a CubeSat is possible in terms of the expected total ionizing dose.     

Orbit determination and time synchronization for a GEO/IGSO satellite navigation constellation with regional tracking network

Aiming at regional services,the space segment of COMPASS (Phase I) satellite navigation system is a constellation of Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO),Inclined Geostationary Earth Orbit (IGSO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites.Precise orbit determination (POD) for the satellites is limited by the geographic distribution of regional tracking stations.Independent time synchronization (TS) system is developed to supplement the regional tracking network,and satellite clock errors and orbit data may be obtai...     

Comparative studies of the features of the formation of impurity heterogeneity in GaSb:Te crystals in the case of directed crystallization under space and ground conditions

The results of comparative studies concerned with the formation of impurity heterogeneity in GaSb:Te crystals grown at the POLIZON facility by the Bridgman method under space and ground conditions are presented. Crystallization is carried out in the same temperature-time modes of the heaters: on board the Foton-M 3 spacecraft in space and by the vertical Bridgman method under conditions of weakened thermogravitational convection on Earth. In both cases, Marangoni convection is eliminated, and the effect of vibration microaccelerations on the ampoule that contains the melt is minimized. The microuniformity of the dopant distribution in the crystal areas that are recrystallized by the Bridgman method is higher than that in the seed grown by the Czochralski method. Microuniformity is higher under space conditions than under ground conditions with weakened thermogravitational convection. Spectral Fourier analysis of the spreading resistance distribution R _s reveals the characteristic periods of heat and mass transfer processes in the melts under ground and space conditions.     

恒星背景噪声对星间激光链路跟瞄系统影响的仿真分析

在恒星辐照度谱模型的基础上,根据卫星轨道理论及恒星数据库建立仿真实验系统,对低轨卫星与中继卫星间(LEO_GEO)、中继卫星间(GEO_GEO)、低轨卫星间(LEO_LEO)三种典型的星间激光链路进行了仿真研究,深入分析了恒星背景噪声对卫星光通信终端跟瞄子系统的影响规律、背景光功率等特性。仿真结果表明:对于视场较大的LEO终端,恒星进入视场的概率约为7%~10%,而对于视场较小的GEO终端,恒星进入视场的概率仅为0.05%,恒星背景光功率约为10-13~10-11W。该项工作对星间激光链路设计、光通信系统参数优化等工作具有一定指导意义。     

The experimental and simulated LET spectrum and charge spectrum from CR-39 detectors exposed to irons near CRaTER at BNL

Human will be sooner or later return to the moon and will eventually travel to the planets near Earth. Space radiation hazards are an important concern for human space flight in deep space where galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar energetic particles are dominated and radiation is much stronger than that in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) because in deep space there is no magnetosphere to screen charged particle and no big planet nearby to shadow the spacecraft.Research indicates that the impact of particle radiation on humans depends strongly on the particles' linear energy transfer (LET) and the radiation risk is dominated by high LET radiation. Therefore, radiation research on high LET should be emphasized and conducted systematically so as to make radiation risk as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) for astronauts.Radiation around the moon can be measured with silicon detectors and/or CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs). At present stage the silicon detectors are one of the preferred active dosimeters which are sensitive to all LET and CR-39 detectors are the preferred passive dosimeters which are sensitive to high LET (≥5 keV/μm water). CR-39 PNTDs can be used as personal dosimeters for astronauts. Both the LET spectrum and the charge spectrum for charged particles in space can be measured with silicon detectors and CR-39 detectors.Calibrations for a detector system combined with the silicon detectors CRaTER (Cosmic Rays Telescope for the Effects of Radiation) from Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the CR-39 PNTDs from JSC (Johnson Space Center) – SRAG (Space Radiation Analysis Group) were conducted by exposing the detector system to the accelerator generated protons and heavy ions. US space mission for the radiation measurement around the moon using CRaTER was carried out in 2009.Results obtained from the calibration exposures indicate an excellent agreement between LET spectrum and charge spectrum measured with CR-39 detectors and simulated with PHITS (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport System).This paper introduces the LET spectrum method and charge spectrum method using CR-39 PNTDs and the Monte Carlo simulation method for CR-39 detectors, presents and compares the results measured with CR-39 PNTDs and simulated for CR-39 detectors exposed to heavy irons (600 MeV/n) in BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory) in front and behind the CRaTER.     

半导体带电粒子探测器的研制及其在空间物理中的应用

阐述了空间辐射环境监测的意义,描述了半导体带电粒子探测器的研制及由其组成的望远镜系统在空间物理中的应用,并给出了用此探测器在卫星上进行地球辐射环境监测、太阳质子事件和地磁暴探测的部分结果.     

Influence of cosmic radiation spectrum and its variation on the relative efficiency of LiF thermoluminescent detectors – Calculations and measurements

Lithium fluoride thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) were used for cosmic radiation dosimetry already in early 1960s. Since that time they have been constantly applied in numerous space missions for personal dosimetry, area monitoring, phantom measurements and dosimetry for biological experiments. The relative efficiency of TLDs, defined as the ratio of their response to a given radiation and to a reference radiation, is not constant, but depends on ionization density. This raises a question about the relative efficiency of TLDs exposed to the complex cosmic radiation spectrum encountered in Earth's orbit, which consists of a variety of particles, including heavy ions, the spectrum of which covers an extremely broad energy range. The present work is an attempt to find an answer to this question.The particle energy spectra were calculated for realistic flight conditions of the International Space Station (ISS). The calculation of the Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) component was based on the input spectra generated with the DLR model for solar minimum (2009) and solar maximum (2000) conditions. Contributions of trapped protons were estimated based on the AP8 model for solar minimum and maximum taking into account the altitude variations of the ISS. The interactions of the primary particles with the ISS were simulated with GEANT4 using a shielding geometry derived from the mass distribution of the Columbus Laboratory of the ISS and several constant aluminum shieldings. The calculated spectra were convoluted with the experimental data on the relative TL efficiency measured for ions ranging from H to Xe at various particle accelerators for two commonly applied TL-materials, namely LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P.The results showed the differences in the average TL-efficiency for these two TL-materials. For LiF:Mg,Ti the relative efficiency is within a few percent from unity for any of the analyzed values of shielding, altitude and solar cycle conditions. This means that one can assume cosmic radiation doses measured in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with LiF:Mg,Ti detectors to be correct within such uncertainty. LiF:Mg,Cu,P underestimates the cosmic radiation doses by more than 15% in all cases. Altitude and solar cycle were found to have a very weak influence on the TL efficiency. In contrast, the influence of shielding thickness is quite significant. The reason for this is a change of contributions of radiation field components: trapped protons dominate at low shielding (97% of dose at 1 g/cm²), but are negligible above 60 g/cm², as well as changes within GCR spectrum (increase of dose due to lower LET secondaries for higher shielding). Shielding thickness affects both TLD types in different ways: the efficiency of LiF:Mg,Cu,P increases with increasing shielding thickness, while the efficiency of LiF:Mg,Ti shows some fluctuations, with a weak minimum for 60 g/cm². The response ratio of these TLDs decreases monotonically with the shielding thickness and could be used as an indicator for the average shielding conditions in which the TLDs were exposed.     

Local disturbances of lightning and seismic origin in the radiation belt

The results from observing bursts of high-energy charged particle fluxes in near-Earth space, caused by local disturbances of the radiation belt and particles precipitating from it, in the ARINA (on board the RESURS-DKI satellite since 2006) and VSPLESK (on board the International Space Station since 2008) satellite experiments are presented. New features were revealed in the geographic distribution of particle bursts, indicating that most high-energy electron bursts are interrelated with thunderstorm and seismic activities, at that some bursts are observed in regions of tectonic faults. Results from observing high-energy electron precipitation from the radiation belt over Japan during the powerful seismic event that began on March 11, 2011, are analyzed.     

Iron flux inside the International Space Station is measured to be lower than predicted

Iron abundance in cosmic rays impinging on astronauts in space habitats is of paramount importance when calculating the radiation risk for human space exploration. The concurrent high relative abundance of iron in Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and iron ability to produce damages at cellular and molecular levels, together with recent radiobiology results suggests iron as a major candidate to be studied in order to produce accurate radiation hazard assessments. Iron may be in fact responsible for a large percentage of cancer risk during a long interplanetary voyage, and therefore deserves a specific attention. We built a simple model based on CREME96 for the radiation in the International Space Station (ISS) and tested it against recently performed measurements with the ALTEA and Alteino particle detectors. While we can report a good agreement between 50m and 250 keV/μm (very good for several peaks such as Si, Mg, S) we show an overestimation by this model of iron abundances of about 25–80% when compared to the measurements. New analysis on previously published work, supporting this result, are also reported.Reasons for this overestimation are discussed, they are likely to be related to the not detailed enough transport through the multiplicity of the ISS shielding and to the often used simplification of “aluminum equivalent shielding”. The iron sources in LEO, possibly not yet accurate enough when transported in Low Earth Orbit, can also play a role. New concurrent measurements (inside–outside the ISS) are suggested to help resolving this issue.     

Trapped Positrons and Electrons in the Inner Radiation Belt According to Data of the PAMELA Experiment

Measurements of secondary-electron and secondary-positron fluxes below the geomagnetic cutoff in near-Earth space were performed by means of the PAMELA magnetic spectrometer installed on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite launched on June 15, 2006, in an elliptical orbit of inclination 70° and altitude 350 to 600 km. This spectrometer permits measuring the fluxes of electrons and positrons over a wide energy range, as well as determining their spatial distributions to a precision of about 2°. A calculation of particle trajectories in the geomagnetic field makes it possible to separate electrons and positrons originating from cosmic-ray interactions in the Earth’s magnetosphere. The spatial distributions of quasitrapped, trapped, and short-lived albedo positrons and electrons of energy above 70 MeV in the radiation belt were analyzed. The ratio of the electron-to-positron fluxes and the energy spectra of the electrons and positrons in question are indicative of different productionmechanisms for stably trapped and quasitrapped secondary particles.     

Solar cycle variations of MIR radiation environment as observed by the LIULIN dosimeter.

Measurements on board the MIR space station by the Bulgarian-Russian dosimeter LIULIN have been used to study the solar cycle variations of the radiation environment. The fixed locations of the instrument in the MIR manned compartment behind 6-15 g/cm2 of shielding have given homogeneous series of particle fluxes and doses measurements to be collected during the declining phase of 22nd solar cycle between September 1989 and April 1994. During the declining phase of 22nd solar cycle the GCR (Galactic Cosmic Rays) flux observed at L>4 (where L is the McIlwain parameter) has enhanced from 0.6-0.7 cm-2 s-1 up to 1.4-1.6 cm-2 s-1. The long-term observations of the trapped radiation can be summarized as follows: the main maximum of the flux and dose rate is located at the southeast side of the geomagnetic field minimum of South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) at L=1.3-1.4. Protons depositing few (nGy cm2)/particle in the detector predominantly populate this region. At practically the same spatial location and for similar conditions the dose rate rises up from 480 to 1470 microGy/h dose in silicon in the 1990-1994 time interval, during the declining phase of the solar cycle. On the other hand the flux rises from 35 up to 115 cm-2 s-1 for the same period of time. A power law dependence was extracted which predicts that when the total neutral density at the altitude of the station decreases from 8x10(-15) to 6x10(-16) g/cm3 the dose increase from about 200 microGy/h up to 1200 microGy/h. At the same time the flux increase from about 30 cm-2 s-1 up to 120 cm-2 s-1. The AP8 model predictions give only 5.8% increase of the flux for the same conditions.     

用于空间激光通信的InGaAsP 激光二极管辐射损伤研究(英文)

对1:55 μm波长DFB 结构的InGaAsP 多量子阱激光二极管开展电子和60Co- 射线辐照试验。试验结果表明,激光二极管的斜度效率主要受带电粒子沉积的电离总剂量影响,而阈值电流和光功率主要受位移损伤剂量的影响。利用位移损伤剂量方法评价激光二极管的辐射损伤特征,并且预测其在空间辐射环境中的光功率衰退情况。模拟计算结果表明,MEO轨道辐射环境对激光二极管光功率辐射损伤远大于GEO轨道的影响,这主要是由于MEO轨道辐射环境的高能电子通量密度远大于GEO轨道的通量密度。The 1.55 μm InGaAsP multi-quantum-well laser diodes with distributed feedback structures were irradiated by electrons and 60Co- rays. The experimental results show the slope efficiency of laser diode is mostly affected by the total ionizing dose produced by charging particles, and the threshold current and the optical power mainly by displacement damage dose. The displacement damage dose methodology was employed to evaluate radiation damage of the laser diodes, and to predict the power degradations of these diodes in space. The calculated results indicate that the optical powers of the diodes will have more serious degradation for medium Earth orbit than for geosynchronous Earth orbit,due to higher fluence density of high energy electrons in GEO orbits.     

Solar particle events observed on MIR station.

Radiation impact of the SPEs on board the MIR space station and in the interplanetary space is discussed in the report. The data of the on-board radiation dosimeter R-16 were used to measure the SPE absorbed doses. Some of SPEs (such as September-October 1989 series of very large SPEs) were measured in detail by Liulin active high sensitive dosimetric instrument installed on board MIR station. MIR station orbit measurements of the absorbed doses are compared with the interplanetary absorbed doses from SPEs estimated by the data obtained by the METEOR satellite spectrometer. The equivalent dose beyond the magnetosphere resulting from the September 29, 1989 solar flare in a spacecraft module with ordinary shielding thickness (approximately 10 g/cm2 of Al) is far higher than the maximum permissible dose of acute single exposure (50 cSv) and comparable with the maximum permissible dose of 2 year mission (118 cSv). Such large SPEs are a serious hazard in interplanetary missions and call forth of special administrative countermeasures.     

The GRIF-2 solar-geophysical experiment on board ALPHA

The main purpose of the GRIF-2 solar-geophysical experiment on board the ALPHA space vehicle is the comprehensive study of the temporal and spectral characteristics of the high-energy neutral radiations (gamma-quanta, neutrons, etc.) generated in solar flares. Another important part of the experiment is the study of the dynamics of energetic charged particles (electrons, protons, etc.) in the circumterrestrial space and its correlation with solar phenomena. The complex of instruments includes a high-sensitivity oriented spectrometer of gamma-quanta and neutrons, an oriented spectrometer of X-rays and electrons with a large geometrical factor, and a spectrometer of electrons and protons with a small geometrical factor. The spectrometer of gamma-quanta and neutrons measures particle fluxes and spectra in the gamma-quantum energy range 0.1– 10 MeV and the spectrometer of neutrons is used for energies over 10 MeV. The spectrometer of X-rays and electrons is intended for both the continuous control of magnetospheric electron precipitations and monitoring the X-ray solar activity in the range 10–100 keV. The spectrometer of charged particles with a small geometrical factor is intended for measurement of high-intensity charged particle fluxes in the trapped radiation zones in the Earth magnetosphere.     

空间辐射环境及人体剂量蒙特卡罗模拟

针对空间辐射环境进行了理论分析,并使用蒙特卡罗方法,对银河宇宙射线及典型太阳质子事件进行了模拟。通过分析常规屏蔽对空间辐射场及人体剂量的影响、屏蔽下的次级粒子产额等,验证了蒙特卡罗工具包Geant4应用于空间辐射防护研究的准确性。模拟发现:在常规屏蔽厚度的情况下,对于太阳质子事件,由于其能量主要分布在低能量段(100 MeV以下),屏蔽效果随屏蔽厚度的增加明显增大,1 g/cm2 Al等效厚度屏蔽皮肤剂量可降低至其初始剂量值的8%左右,10 g/cm2 Al等效厚度的屏蔽可降低至初始剂量值的048%左右;而对于银河宇宙射线,由于其平均能量较高,屏蔽层的屏蔽作用并不明显,在浅层组织剂量甚至有所增加。     

Observations of Trapped Electrons and Positrons with E > 50 MeV in the Inner Radiation Belt by the PAMELA Magnetic Spectrometer

Geomagnetically trapped electrons and positrons with energy above 50 MeV were observed in PAMELA experiment on board Resurs DK satellite. The instrument consists of magnetic spectrometer, imaging electromagnetic calorimeter, time-of-flight system, anticoincidence and neutron detectors that provide unique particle identification and background rejection. PAMELA was collecting data since June 2006 till January 2016. The satellite orbit with initial altitude 350–600 km and inclination 70° crosses the inner radiation belt in South Atlantic Anomaly at L-shell ∼1.2. The trapped electrons and positrons were selected on the basis of a trajectory simulation in the Earth magnetic field. Features of the energy spectra of electrons and positrons at low energies are analyzed.

     

Eruptive events in the solar atmosphere: new insights from theory and 3-D numerical modelling

Ejections of magnetised plasma from the Sun, commonly known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are one of the most stunning manifestations of solar activity. These ejections play a leading role in the Sun–Earth connection, because of their large-scale, energetics and direct impact on the space environment near the Earth. As CMEs evolve in the solar corona and interplanetary space they drive shock waves, which act as powerful accelerators of charged particles in the inner solar system. Some of these particles, known as solar energetic particles (SEPs), can strike our planet, and in doing so they can disrupt satellites and knock out power systems on the ground, among other effects. These particles, along with the intensive X-ray radiation from solar flares, also endanger human life in outer space. That is why it is important for space scientists to understand and predict the ever changing environmental conditions in outer space due to solar eruptive events – the so-called space weather. To enable the development of accurate space weather forecast, in the past three decades solar scientists have been challenged to provide an improved understanding of the physical causes of the CME phenomenon and its numerous effects. This paper summarises the most recent advances from theory and modelling in understanding the origin and evolution of solar eruptive events and related phenomena.     

Cumulative ionizing effect from solar-terrestrial charged particles and cosmic rays for CubeSats as simulated with GEANT4

Computational results for the cumulative effect of ionizing radiation are presented for CubeSats taking into account the presence of trapped charged particles in the Earth's magnetosphere, protons and heavy ions from the Sun, and the cosmic rays. In contrast to relatively larger satellites, CubeSats are often launched with minimal shielding structures. Therefore, detailed modeling of a CubeSat is performed based on currently available standard platforms. The geometrical modeling is then used for an estimation of the ionizing doses for various locations within the CubeSat spacecraft operating at low altitudes. The calculation is reiterated and extended for more exotic orbits, such as geostationary Earth orbits and lunar orbits, for the potential application of CubeSats in challenging space missions.     

TEPC measurements obtained on the Mir space station

Measurements of the radiation environment inside the Mir space station were performed with a tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) during the Antares mission in 1992, and over a long period following it. Interesting results concerning radiation measurements show (a) the South Atlantic Anomaly crossing, (b) the increase of radiation near the poles, and (c) the effects of solar particle events (the most important one occurring in early November 1992). This data also provides information about the dose and the quality factor of the radiation to which the cosmonauts were exposed during different missions. These data are compared with measurements obtained using a solid state detector.     

空间环境对卫星光通信系统性能的影响分析

分析了空间环境对卫星光通信系统的主要影响因素,包括高能带电粒子辐射、太阳辐射、等离子体辐射等环境。分析结果表明,为了有效减小卫星光通信器件的单粒子翻转率,需要对轨道倾角和轨道高度进行优化设计;为了有效抑制太阳辐射,对日俯仰角需要限制在一个很小的变化范围;增大信号发射功率和减小系统跟瞄误差都是提高卫星光通信系统可靠性的有效途径;对等离子体辐射环境来说,300eV以上的中等能量等离子体会严重干扰卫星的正常工作。