The Radiation Belts!

There is also another aspect to these Belts of particular interest to manned space flight and satellites. Because the Belts follow the Earth's magnetic field not its geographic shape, they are closer to the ground over South America and the South Atlantic. This means that if you were in a Space Shuttle, Space Station or operating a satellite as it passes over the South Atlantic, you will be closer to the Belts and receive a larger than average dose of radiation from them as their particles penetrate your spacecraft or satellite skin. This region is called the South Atlantic Anomaly. It affects astronaut radiation dosages as well as data and signal transmission quality from all spacecraft passing through this continent-sized region. If you were orbiting at an altitude of 300 kilometers and happened to pass across the region to the east of South America, you and your instruments would get a dose of radiation! Here is what a map of this dosage would look like: The angry, red area shows where the radiation is the most intense, and cool blue where it is least intense. It is interesting to imagine that sunbathers on the beautiful beach of Ipanema in Brazil, are gazing up into the sky at a hailstorm of invisible particles raining down on them from space - but protected from any harm by our thick atmosphere!     Continue to Part 4