Re: High Altitude Radiation?

[Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 10:31 12.11.1996 -0600, you wrote:
>
>yeah, but it was worth it.
>
>Donald P. Mercado, O/47-20, B/101      PROFS Nickname: DMERCADO
>Radiation Safety Officer            Email: Don.Mercado@lmco.com
>Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space            Tel. (408) 742-0759
>Sunnyvale, Ca 94089                         Fax. (408) 742-0611
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> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 96 10:19:08 -0600
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> From: rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)
> To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject: Re: High Altitude Radiation?
> X-Listserver-Version: 6.0 -- UNIX ListServer by Anastasios Kotsikonas
> X-Comment:  Radiation Safety Distribution List
>
> Just returned from being away for a few days and saw your questions re count
> rate vs. altitude.  What you saw is exactly what would be expected.  Cosmic
> ray intensity (largely scondaries -- ie photons) increases with altitude,
> reaches a peak and then drops off.  Also, the efficiency of the detector
> differs for different energies, which plays a part in what you saw.  Details
> are available in Chapter of "Radioactivity in the Environment", Harwood
> Academic Press, 1984.
>
>
> Ron Kathren>
> >Howdy,
> >
> >Our campus amateur radio club recently launched a balloon with an
> >amateur radio package attached.  In addition to the amateur radio
> >gear, there was a Geiger counter and data acquisition system on board.
> >They looked at the data and then came to me with questions.  They
> >basically were looking at counting rate versus altitude.  The numbers
> >they got are (cpm = counts per minute):
> >
> >    ground - 16cpm
> >    60,000ft - 800cpm
> >    90,000ft - 600cpm
> >
> >According to the manufacturers calibration data, 1cpm = 1 microR/hour.
> >
> >Their questions are:
> >
> >1) Why is the counting rate higher at 60,000 than 90,000?
> >
> >2) What kind of radiations are they seeing (x-rays, mesons)?
> >
> >Any thoughts?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Tracy
> >
> >====================================================================
> >Tracy N. Tipping                                Work: (913) 532-2668
> >Laboratory Safety Officer                       FAX:  (913) 532-6806
> >James R. Macdonald Laboratory                   Home: (913) 539-1378
> >116 Cardwell Hall                               Amateur Radio: N0OEY
> >Kansas State University                         tipping@phys.ksu.edu
> >Manhattan, KS 66506-2604            http://www.phys.ksu.edu/~tipping
> >====================================================================
> >
> >
>
>
>0=======================================================================

I ask all you radsafers, whether I am the only one, who does not understand
this message.

Franz
Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 WIEN
AUSTRIA/EUROPE
Tel./Fax:	+43-1-4955308
Tel.:		+43-664-3380333
e-mail:		schoenho@via.at