This project, called Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety – High-altitude (ARMAS-Hi), addresses [Research Announcement] Topic 1 (Demonstration of Space Technology Payloads). It will be the first demonstration of a real-time COTS-based technology for ionizing radiation dose assessment at high altitudes with a global operational application. It is a disruptive technology for radiation monitoring capabilities at high altitudes and is important for human space exploration by helping specify the radiation environment consistency from the surface to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), i.e., a space tourism safety concern. It is a low-cost radiation measurement system that is useful in validating NASA’s NAIRAS system space radiation transport code developed for the International Space Station (ISS) and environment models. This work will result in a better understanding of the radiation environment due to Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and solar proton events (SPEs) for altitudes transitioning into space.
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