High energy proton-proton total cross section and cosmic-ray data

Proton-nucleus total inelastic cross sections have been calculated in the multiple scattering theory for incident proton energies ranging between 20 and 10⁵ GeV. The results are compared to available cosmic-ray data. In view of the present analysis, extrapolations of the latest I.S.R. results on the proton-proton total cross section σ according to a logarithmic law almost saturating the Froissart bound seem hazardous.