Space radiation environment

Abstract

This lecture will focus on the description of the space radiation environment, which is the most complex natural radiation field encountered by humans. It will describe in detail the sources of the space radiation environment, being galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), solar energetic particles (SEP) emitted during solar particle events (SPE) and trapped radiation in the Earth radiation belts (Van Allen belts). Further on we will discuss the changes of the radiation field in space based on solar conditions and how these changes affect the radiation environment at Earth, but also on the future locations for human space exploration as the Moon and Mars. To bring all this in perspective we will also briefly give an overview of the natural radiation environment on Earth and its changes with altitude above the surface.