Effects of trapped proton flux anisotropy on dose rates in low Earth orbit

Trapped protons in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) have a rather narrow pitch angle distribution and exhibit east-west anisotropy. In low Earth orbits, the E-W effect results in different amounts of radiation dose received by different sections of the spacecraft. This effect is best studied on missions in which the spacecraft flies in a fixed orientation. The magnitude of the effect depends on the particle energy and altitude through the SAA. In this paper, we describe a clear example of this effect from measurements of radiation dose rates and linear energy transfer spectra made on Space Shuttle flight STS-94 (28.5 degree inclination x 296 km altitude). The ratio of dose rates from the two directions at this location in the mid-deck was 2.7. As expected from model calculations, the spectra from the two directions are different, that is the ratio is energy dependent. The data can be used to distinguish the anisotropy models. The flight carried an active tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC), and passive thermoluminscent detectors (TLDs), and two types of nuclear emulsions. Using nuclear emulsions, charged particles and secondary neutron energy spectra were measured. The combined galactic cosmic radiation+trapped charged particle lineal energy spectra measured by the TEPC and the linear energy transfer spectrum measured by nuclear emulsions are in good agreement. The charged particle absorbed dose rates varied from 112 to 175 microGy/day, and dose equivalent rates from 264.3 to 413 microSv/day. Neutrons in the 1-10 MeV contributed a dose rate of 3.7 microGy/day and dose equivalent rate of 30.8 microSv/day, respectively.