Open AccessRaD‐X: Complementary measurements of dose rates at aviation altitudes
Author(s) -
Meier Matthias M.,
Matthiä Daniel,
Forkert Tomas,
Wirtz Michael,
Scheibinger Markus,
Hübel Robert,
Mertens Christopher J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
space weather
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.254
H-Index - 56
ISSN - 1542-7390
DOI - 10.1002/2016sw001418
Subject(s) - meteorology , environmental science , altitude (triangle) , aviation , physics , international space station , atmospheric sciences , aeronautics , aerospace engineering , mathematics , engineering , astronomy , geometry
Abstract The RaD‐X stratospheric balloon flight organized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was launched from Fort Sumner on 25 September 2015 and carried several instruments to measure the radiation field in the upper atmosphere at the average vertical cutoff rigidity R c of 4.1 GV. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft‐ und Raumfahrt) in cooperation with Lufthansa German Airlines supported this campaign with an independent measuring flight at the altitudes of civil aviation on a round trip from Germany to Japan. The goal was to measure dose rates under similar space weather conditions over an area on the Northern Hemisphere opposite to the RaD‐X flight. Dose rates were measured in the target areas, i.e., around vertical cutoff rigidity R c of 4.1 GV, at two flight altitudes for about 1 h at each position with acceptable counting statistics. The analysis of the space weather situation during the flights shows that measuring data were acquired under stable and moderate space weather conditions with a virtually undisturbed magnetosphere. The measured rates of absorbed dose in silicon and ambient dose equivalent complement the data recorded during the balloon flight. The combined measurements provide a set of experimental data suitable for validating and improving numerical models for the calculation of radiation exposure at aviation altitudes.