ASA RESEARCHERS FROM LANGLEY RESEARCH Center used an
upgraded ER-2 aircraft based at Ames Research Center to measure
naturally-occurring radiation from cosmic and solar rays at altitudes between
52,000 and 70,000 feet.
Volume 5, Number 4 July/August 1997
Aerospace Technology Development
ASA RESEARCHERS FROM LANGLEY RESEARCH Center used an
upgraded ER-2 aircraft based at Ames Research Center to measure
naturally-occurring radiation from cosmic and solar rays at altitudes between
52,000 and 70,000 feet.
An ER-2, complete with a full array of science instrument packages, also recently conducted its first operational mission at 70,000 feet altitude, a key atmospheric research region. The aircraft flew over the North Pole for POLARIS (Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer).
The data gathered by the Langley Researchers will be used to characterize the radiation environment for the aircrew and frequent-flying public on a future High-Speed Civil Transport. The High-Speed Civil Transport, a conceptual supersonic airliner, would carry 300 passengers at 2.4 times the speed of sound, at altitudes of up to 68,000 feet.
The High Speed Research Program funded the radiation measurement project. "The primary thrust (of the study) is to characterize the atmospheric radiation and to define dose levels at high altitude flight. A secondary thrust is to develop and validate dosimetric techniques and monitoring devices for protection of the aircrew who work many hours at cruise altitudes," said Donald Maiden, Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation project manager.
Also collaborating on this project are Johnson Space Center, Department of Energy's Environmental Measurements Laboratory, Canadian Defense Research Establishment and Royal Military College, German Aerospace Research Establishment, the United Kingdom's National Radiation Protection Board, and Boeing Company.
The POLARIS mission seeks to understand the fundamental chemistry that dominates the naturally occurring seasonal reduction of ozone over the pole in the course of the Arctic summer.
The ER-2, a civilian version of the U-2 aerial reconnaissance plane, is sponsored by the Mission to Planet Earth Program. POLARIS project scientists are interested in many of the chemical reactions that occur at 75,000 feet. Now, a fully-loaded ER-2 can operate approximately 2,500 feet higher than previously possible due to lower fuel requirements and lighter aircraft weight. This increased altitude capability permits extension of in-place measurements for validating and upgrading existing models of the upper atmosphere.
For more information, contact Jim Barrilleaux at Ames Research Center
Call 415/604-4724
E-mail: barrilleaux@mail.arc.nasa.gov
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