CONCORD: comparison of cosmic radiation detectors in the radiation field at aviation altitudes

Abstract

Space weather can strongly affect the complex radiation field at aviation altitudes. The assessment of the corresponding radiation exposure of aircrew and passengers has been a challenging task as well as a legal obligation in the European Union for many years. The response of several radiation measuring instruments operated by different European research groups during joint measuring flights was investigated in the framework of the CONCORD (COmparisoN of COsmic Radiation Detectors) campaign in the radiation field at aviation altitudes. This cooperation offered the opportunity to measure under the same space weather conditions and contributed to an independent quality control among the participating groups. The CONCORD flight campaign was performed with the twin-jet research aircraft Dassault Falcon 20E operated by the flight facility Oberpfaffenhofen of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt, DLR). Dose rates were measured at four positions in the atmosphere in European airspace for about one hour at each position in order to obtain acceptable counting statistics. The analysis of the space weather situation during the measuring flights demonstrates that short-term solar activity did not affect the results which show a very good agreement between the readings of the instruments of the different institutes.

RaD‐X: Complementary measurements of dose rates at aviation altitudes

“…During the return flight on 15 September 2015, the measured dose rates were (1.43 ± 0.15) μGy/h and (4.73 ± 0.37) μSv/h, respectively, which is significantly lower due to the greater atmospheric shielding at FL340. The measured dose rates complement recently published results performed with the same detectors for comparable solar modulation ( W ≈ 66) at different cutoff rigidities and altitudes [ Meier et al, ].…”

“…The sensitive volume of the HAWK 2 (TEPC) is a 4.95 inches diameter plastic sphere that is filled with a tissue equivalent gas consisting of 99.7% propane at a pressure of about 7 torr [ Conroy , ], simulating a cell size of 2 µm. The HAWK 2 instrument is also sensitive to indirectly ionizing particles, e.g., neutrons [ Meier et al, ]. The measured rates of absorbed dose in silicon d D Si / d t and ambient dose equivalent d H*(10)/ d t with their uncertainties are given in Table .…”

“…All instruments were commercially available and had been tested for safety according to Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA)/DO‐160E [ Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics , ] by an independent accredited notified body that certified compliance with Cat. H. Furthermore, the radiation measuring instruments used for the complementary measurements of dose rates at the altitudes of commercial aviation had been internationally compared and validated within the Comparison of Cosmic Radiation Detectors flight campaign [ Meier et al, ].…”

“…An analysis of the Lufthansa flight plan showed that the requirement for a comparatively long coverage of an area around this effective vertical cutoff rigidity R c of approximately 4 GV could be met with a flight from Frankfurt (Germany) to Nagoya (Japan). [Meier et al, 2016].…”

First Steps Toward the Verification of Models for the Assessment of the Radiation Exposure at Aviation Altitudes During Quiet Space Weather Conditions

“…The survey of reports about correspondingly dedicated flight missions in different scientific journals revealed three potential sources of measuring data for the comparison with model calculations, namely, the Coordinated Access to Aircraft for Transnational Environmental Research (CAATER) flight campaign (Lillhök et al, ), the Comparison of Airborne RAdiation Measuring Equipment for implementation of Legal requirements (CARAMEL) campaign (Wissmann et al, ), and the COmparisoN of COsmic Radiation Detectors (CONCORD) campaign (Meier et al, ). The interested reader is referred to the corresponding references for more detailed information.…”