The Role of Proton and Electron “Abnormal” Formations in Radiation Impact on Construction Elements of Spacecrafts

Based on measurements conducted onboard the Space Station MIR in 1999, and other original data, the spatial distributions and energy characteristics of “abnormal” areas of electrons with energy of order of 101~102 keV at medium and low latitudes (L~1.3–1.9) and protons with energies of 10 keV - 5 MeV near to geomagnetic equator (L<1.15) are presented. Computations of the additional absorbed radiation doze values produced by the specified abnormal formations are given. Special attention is paid to estimates of the absorbed radiation doze in the surface layers of materials (with thickness of up to 10–20 micrometers). It is shown that the protons with energies less than 300 keV that are present in near-equatorial abnormal areas are responsible for the increase in the absorbed radiation dozes in such layers that are up to 1.5–2 orders of magnitude higher when compared with the data obtained in terms of the AP-8 model.