Determination of dose distribution of cosmic radiation behind different shielding thicknesses

Investigations are described for the determination of dose distributions of cosmic radiation behind different shielding thicknesses. For this purpose, ultra-thin thermoluminescent detectors on a base of CaF2-polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) were prepared and arranged in a stack at the outer wall of the biosatellite Cosmos 1887. During the 13 days of flight in a near-Earth orbit, the detectors were exposed to the unshielded cosmic radiation. After the flight, the dose distribution in the stack was determined by successive evaluations of the CaF2-PTFE discs. In the upper layers of the detector arrangement, dose values up to 100 Gy were observed. The strong decrease of the dose within a few mm demonstrates that weak particle radiation is dominant in the radiation field under investigation.