Cosmic radiation measurements on the Foton-M4 satellite by passive detectors ☆

The Russian Foton spacecraft was designed to deliver scientific experiments to low Earth orbit and return them safely to the ground for further analysis. During the 44-d Foton-M4 satellite mission in 2014 several passive cosmic ray detectors were exposed outside (in a single holder) and inside (in 4 locations) the recoverable capsule to study the radiation field. The applied thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) are more sensitive to the particles with LET under 10keVµm−1, while the solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) measure the particles having LET over this value. According to our measurements the average internal absorbed dose rate varied between 374−562μGy/day for low LET radiation and 40−52μGy/day for high LET radiation. Outside the capsule the dose rate was much higher, 1078 μGy/day for low LET radiation and 75 μGy/day for high LET radiation. Within the paper the obtained absorbed dose rates has been compared to those measured on the previous Foton-M flights, during the Bion-M1 mission and in the Columbus module of the International Space Station.