[ RadSafe ] AVIATION RADIATION EXPERIMENT--UPDATE

[Joseph Preisig]

Radsafe,

     The route of the observations follows somewhat the Circum-Pacific Ring
of Fire.  It was not a Great Circle, in the
specific geodetic or geophysics sense.

     Joe Preisig



On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 9:11 PM, S L Gawarecki <slgawarecki at gmail.com>
wrote:

> From spaceweather.com
>
> En route to observe the March 9th total eclipse in Indonesia, the students
> of Earth to Sky Calculus
> <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Earth-to-Sky-Calculus/174490502634920>
> conducted an unusual experiment in aviation radiation. Their plane flew a
> great circle around the Pacific Ocean, skirting the Arctic Circle and
> crossing the equator in a relatively short period of time. Onboard the
> plane, they carried a cosmic ray balloon payload equipped with multiple
> radiation sensors. This allowed them to "take a snapshot" of dose rates
> over a wide range of latitudes. Preliminary results on a route map can be
> viewed at http://spaceweather.com/ for March 12 (you may have to consult
> the archive if you look at this later).
>
> Throughout the trip, the plane was flying not far above 30,000 feet
> altitude. Students measured a 2:1 ratio of dose rates, Arctic vs. equator.
>
> Researchers have long known that Earth's magnetic field near the equator
> provides a greater degree of protection against cosmic rays than Earth's
> magnetic field near the poles. This experiment answers the question, "How
> much greater?" (About 2 times.) It also builds upon Earth to Sky's ongoing
> study <http://news.spaceweather.com/rads-on-a-plane-may-oct-2015/> of
> aviation radiation which, before now, has been limited to latitudes inside
> the continental USA.
>
> Radiation inside airplanes comes from deep space. Galactic cosmic rays are
> accelerated toward our planet by supernova explosions and other violent
> events in the cosmos. They penetrate the walls of aircraft with ease and
> have prompted the International Commission on Radiological Protection
> (ICRP) to classify pilots as occupational radiation workers.
> The students are about to return to the United States, following
> approximately the same route in reverse. Will their preliminary results be
> confirmed?
>
> Regards,
> *Susan Gawarecki*
>
> ph: 865-494-0102
> cell:  865-604-3724
> SLGawarecki at gmail.com
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