Calculations and observations of induced radioactivity in spaceborne materials

All material in space becomes radioactive due to nuclear interactions with cosmic rays, radiation belt protons and solar flare particles. This poses a particular problem for gamma-ray detectors as the energy depositions fall in the precise window of interest. On the positive side, samples returned to earth can be monitored to provide information on the primary and secondary radiations experienced. Here, radiation transport calculations are compared with observations of induced radioactivity obtained from the OSSE experiment on the Compton Observatory and the CREAM experiment on Space Shuttle. These results illustrate the importance of secondary particles