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An artists depiction with cutaway area of the 2 giant donuts of radiation, called the Van Allen Belts, that surround Earth. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Radiation Belts– Fun Facts
By NASA
October 10, 2021
2 radiation belts filled with electrons and charged particles surround Earth. The inner one is relatively steady, however the external one swells and shrinks with time.
The radiation belts look like 2 giant donuts. Earth sits at the center of the “donut hole.”
When the inner belt swells, this region of harmful radiation broadens to consist of the orbits of the International Space Station and many other satellites.
The very first proof for the radiation belts was reported in 1958 by James Van Allen utilizing data from a cosmic ray detector on the very first NASA objective: Explorer 1 spacecraft. Explorer 1 launched into Earths orbit on a Jupiter C rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 31, 1958.
The outer radiation belt was discovered a couple of months after the inner belt utilizing data from Explorer IV and Pioneer 3, both introduced in 1958.
When the Radiation Belts were first found, the radiation was so intense that initially researchers thought they may be recording a Soviet nuclear test.
The Van Allen Probes were positioned into an extremely elliptical orbit, likewise referred to as a “geostationary transfer orbit”.
The Van Allen Probes orbit is known as a “geostationary transfer orbit” since it is the exact same orbit that is also used to improve spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit.
Particles that fall out of the radiation belts can impact the chemistry and structure of Earths environment.
The material in the radiation belts is made from charged particles– a material called “plasma.” Plasma surrounds the sun and pervades much of the universe.
Electromagnetic fields are undetectable to the eye, however they offer a structure throughout area that guides how charged particles move.
The Van Allen Radiation Belts are one part of Earths dynamic magnetic environment, referred to as the magnetosphere.
During periods of extreme space weather, the density and energy of radiation belt particles can increase and present a risk to astronauts, spacecraft, and even technologies on the ground.
Some particles in the radiation belts move at almost the speed of light, which is about 186,000 miles per second.
Our society depends on more than 800 satellites running in the radiation belts for communication and navigation.
The external radiation belt is typically about 8,400 to 36,000 miles above Earths surface area.
The most intense area of radiation within the external belt is between about 9,000-12,000 miles above Earths surface area.
The more we understand about what happens in the radiation belts, the better we can safeguard our satellites.
Earths magnetic field guards us from solar storms and the constantly streaming solar wind.
The largest, single risk for astronauts traveling to Mars will be conquering exposure to solar storms and radiation.
One sensor on the Van Allen Probes spacecraft determined their lifetime radiation exposure offering engineers precise info to build radiation tolerant spacecraft and instrumentation in the future.
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