The Van Allen Probes Engineering Radiation Monitor: Mission Radiation Environment and Effects

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Abstract
The engineering radiation monitor (ERM) measures dose, dose rate, and charging currents on the Van Allen Probes mission to study the dynamics of Earth\textquoterights Van Allen radiation belts. Measurements from this monitor show a variation in dose rates with time, a correlation between the dosimeter and charging current data, a map of charging current versus orbit altitude, and a comparison of measured cumulative dose to prelaunch and postlaunch modeling. The measurement results and surveys of the radiation hardness for the spacecraft and science instrument electronics enable the team to predict the length of possible mission extensions. The ERM data have proved useful in investigations of two spacecraft anomalies.
Year of Publication
2016
Journal
Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest
Volume
33(3)
Number of Pages
183-193
Date Published
07/2016
URL
http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/TD/td3303/33_03-Maurer.pdf
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