Study of basic electrostatic radiation shield characteristics on board the Cosmos 605 satellite

Direct measurement of conduction currents in the electrostatic radiation shield model carried out on board the Cosmos 605 satellite yielded additional information on the dose, weight and size characteristics and helped to evaluate the power requirements for a real electrostatic radiation shield. It was found that the electrostatic shield power requirements (at an electric field strength of 10(7)V m-1 and total shielded surface of 10(2) m2) did not exceed 10 watts, i.e. it was at least one order of magnitude lower than had been assumed from data obtained in ground-based studies. These results show the feasibility of protective electric fields of the required strength, with the space vacuum around the vehicle being used as an insulating medium.