Authors:

Ishaan Rao

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

The radiation environment in Earth orbit is generally harmful to satellite electronics. To maximize satellite durability in the radiation environment, an accurate estimate of the radiation dose received in any given orbit is required. While prior work has characterized low earth orbit and geosynchronous orbits, relatively few studies have looked between geosynchronous orbit and lunar orbit. This paper investigates the radiation environment in cislunar space to determine the expected radiation dose for common orbits. For a representative sample of the regions of Earth orbits, circular orbits are studied at altitudes 200km, 2500km, 4500km, 25,000km, and 35,790km, as well as in a near-lunar orbit of about 600,000km. Using a tool developed by the European Space Agency known as SPENVIS, the trapped proton and electron doses, as well as the Galactic Cosmic Ray doses for Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, and Iron ions, over a one-year period in each orbit are found. The total absorbed radiation dose per unit time is measured in units of rads; this allows for comparisons to determine safe and unsafe regions of cislunar space for various electronics. Having more accurate radiation dose information allows satellite designs to optimize their intended orbits, balancing radiation shielding with mass requirements. Having a detailed understanding of the distribution of radiation particles also allows for electronic equipment to be designed for durability against particular types of radiation.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Ishaan Rao