Radiation dosimetry measurements during U.S. space shuttle missions with the RME-III

Time-resolved radiation dosimetry measurements inside the crew compartment have been made during recent Shuttle missions with the U.S. Air Force Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III), a portable battery-powered four-channel tissue equivalent proportional counter. Results from the first six missions are presented and discussed. Half of the missions had orbital inclinations of 28.5o with the remainder at inclinations of 57o or greater; altitudes ranged from 300 to 600 km. The determined dose equivalent rates ranged from 70 to 5300 μSv/day. The RME-III measurements are in good agreement with other dosimetry measurements made aboard the vehicles. Measurements indicate that medium- and high-LET particles contributed less than 2% of the particle fluence for all missions, but up to 50% of the dose equivalent, depending on the spacecraft's altitude and orbital inclination. Isocontours of fluence, dose and dose equivalent rate have been developed from measurements made during the STS-28 mission. The drift rate of the South Atlantic Anomaly is estimated to be 0.49oW/yr and 0.12oN/yr. The calculated trapped proton and GCR dose for the STS-28 mission was significantly lower than the measured values. (author)