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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Mercury's Surface Magnetic Field Determined from Proton-Reflection Magnetometry

Solar wind protons observed by the MESSENGER spacecraft in orbit about Mercury exhibit signatures of precipitation loss to Mercury's surface. We apply proton-reflection magnetometry to sense Mercury's surface magnetic field intensity in the planet's northern and southern hemispheres. The results are consistent with a dipole field offset to the north and show that the technique may be used to resolve regional-scale fields at the surface. The proton loss cones indicate persistent ion precipitation to the surface in the northern magnetospheric cusp region and in the southern hemisphere at low nightside latitudes. The latter observation implies that most of the surface in Mercury's southern hemisphere is continuously bombarded by plasma, in contrast with the premise that the global magnetic field largely protects the planetary surface from the solar wind.

loss cone↗
NASA NTRS2016

Probability Estimates of Solar Proton Doses During Periods of Low Sunspot Number for Short Duration Missions

In an earlier paper presented at ICES in 2015, we investigated solar particle event (SPE) radiation exposures (absorbed dose) to small, thinly-shielded spacecraft during a period when the monthly smoothed sunspot number (SSN) was less than 30. Although such months are generally considered "solar-quiet", SPEs observed during these months even include Ground Level Events, the most energetic type of SPE. In this paper, we add to previous study those SPEs that occurred in 1973-2015 when the SSN was greater than 30 but less than 50. Based on the observable energy range of the solar protons, we classify the event as GLEs, sub-GLEs, and sub-sub-GLEs, all of which are potential contributors to the radiation hazard. We use the spectra of these events to construct a probabilistic model of the absorbed dose due to solar protons when SSN < 50 at various confidence levels for various depths of shielding and for various mission durations. We provide plots and tables of solar proton-induced absorbed dose as functions of confidence level, shielding thickness, and mission-duration that will be useful to system designers.

Atwell, William↗
NASA NTRS2018

Database of Episode-Integrated Solar Energetic Proton Fluences

A new database of proton episode-integrated fluences is described. This database contains data from two different instruments on multiple satellites. The data are from instruments on the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-8 (IMP8) and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) series. A method to normalize one set of data to one another is presented to create a seamless database spanning 1973 to 2016. A discussion of some of the characteristics that episodes exhibit is presented, including episode duration and number of peaks. As an example of what can be understood about episodes, the July 4, 2012 episode is examined in detail. The coronal mass ejections and solar flares that caused many of the fluctuations of the proton flux seen at Earth are associated with peaks in the proton flux during this episode. The reasoning for each choice is laid out to provide a reference for how CME and solar flares associations are made.

episode characteristcs↗
NASA NTRS2021

Spatially Separated Electron and Proton Beams in a Simulated Solar Coronal Jet

Magnetic reconnection is widely accepted to be a major contributor to non-thermal particle acceleration in the solar atmosphere. In this paper we investigate particle acceleration during the impulsive phase of a coronal jet, which involves bursty reconnection at a magnetic null point. A test-particle approach is employed, using electromagnetic fields from a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of such a jet. Protons and electrons are found to be accelerated non-thermally both downwards toward the domain’s lower boundary and the solar photosphere, and outwards along the axis of the coronal jet and into the heliosphere. A key finding is that a circular ribbon of particle deposition on the photosphere is predicted, with the protons and electrons concentrated in different parts of the ribbon. Furthermore, the outgoing protons and electrons form two spatially separated beams parallel to the axis of the jet, signatures that may be observable inin-situobservations of the heliosphere.

Ross Pallister↗
NASA NTRS2015

Deficits in Sustained Attention and Changes in Dopaminergic Protein Levels Following Exposure to Proton Radiation are Related to Basal Dopaminergic Function

The current report assessed the effects of low-level proton irradiation in inbred adult male Fischer 344 and Lewis rats performing an analog of the human Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), commonly utilized as an object risk assessment tool to quantify fatigue and sustained attention in laboratory, clinical, and operational settings. These strains were used to determine if genetic differences in dopaminergic function would impact radiation-induced deficits in sustained attention. Exposure to head-only proton irradiation (25 or 100 cGy) disrupted rPVT performance in a strain-specific manner, with 25 cGy-exposed Fischer 344 rats displaying the most severe deficits in sustained attention (i.e., decreased accuracy and increased premature responding); Lewis rats did not display behavioral deficits following radiation. Fischer 344 rats displayed greater tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter levels in the frontal cortex compared to the Lewis rats, even though radiation exposure increased both of these proteins in the Lewis rats only. Tyrosine hydroxylase was decreased in the parietal cortex of both rat strains following radiation exposure, regardless of proton dose. Strain-specific cytokine changes were also found in the frontal cortex, with the Lewis rats displaying increased levels of putative neurotrophic cytokines (e.g., CNTF). These data support the hypothesis that basal dopaminergic function impacts the severity of radiation-induced deficits in sustained attention.

Catherine M Davis↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Shields-1 Energetic Proton Dose Comparison from Solar Minimum and Active Periods

Shields-1 has been operating in polar low earth orbit since December 2018 as part of the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)XIX Mission. Shields-1 has 8 Teledyne µdosimeters behind shielding. These shielded µdosimeters have high minimum proton energy thresholds. The Shields-1 electronics enclosure µdosimeter has a minimum proton threshold energy of 151 MeV. The annualized total ionizing dose (TID) in the electronics enclosure was 75.6 +/- 3.2 RAD from July-August 2019, which was a solar minimum period. In contrast, the annualized TID was 61.0 +/- 2.5 RAD in July 2023, a solar active month. The TID change can be attributed to both the reduction in radiation at the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and the decrease in galactic cosmic radiation during increasing solar activity. The measured GCR dose over the poles was reduced during the July 2023 solar active period in comparison with the July 2019 solar minimum period, using the most sensitive µdosimeter channel for the measurement. Shields-1 has demonstrated the capability of measuring the changes in high energy protons in polar low earth orbit during changes in solar activity, which contributes to the understanding of Earth in the heliosphere.

Shields-1 Dosimetry Space Sciences↗
NASA NTRS2020

Medical Proton Test Facilities (MPTFs) Lessons Learned on the Unique Aspects for Single Event Effects (SEE) Testing of Electronics in the 200 MeV Regime

Ever since the closure of the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) in 2014, there has been an increasing use of medical proton therapy facilities (MPTF) for SEE testing with protons in the 200 MeV or greater regime. This talk covers some of the unique features and considerations for utilizing MPTFs including both logistical and technical aspects. This presentation provides an overview of lessons learned for SEE testing at MPTFs.

Medical Proton Test Facilities (MPTFs)↗
NASA NTRS1966

The Lewis proton shielding code

Fortran IV computer program for calculation of primary proton and secondary proton and neutron particle spectra and dose behind multilayer radiation shielding

RADIATION SHIELDING↗