The Rate of Single Event Upsets in Electronic Circuits onboard Spacecraft

Abstract

Models and methods in use for quantitative estimates of the occurrence of single event upsets in microchips of orbiting spacecraft are considered. A calculation and experimental technique for determining the rate of these effects is described, taking into account spatial and temporal distributions of the fluxes of highenergy particles in the space and their penetration through protective shields. Examples of its application for the orbit of the International Space Station are presented. Space vehicles (instrumentation modules) used for studying single event inversions of memory cells of RAM VLSIC SpacecraftCountry of instrumentation design References

The Compact Irradiator Modulus Designed for DNA Repair and Mutagenesis Studies in ISS Microgravity Environment Using UVA Emitted by Light-Emitting Diodes

“…Since the EM did not return to Earth, and the IM did not present any signs of failure in later tests carried out with the engineering model of the EM and firmware from the flight, nor were any problems found after a detailed analysis of the electronic circuits, watchdog registers and firmware design, we suspect there was a momentary failure due to radiation in the environment, such as SCR -Solar Cosmic Rays and GCR -Galactic Cosmic Rays, creating a SEU (Single Event Upset), associated with the use of COT components of medium-scale integration. Electronic failures of the ISS orbit are generally due to proton flow from the South Atlantic Anomaly-(SAA) (Kuznetsov, 2005). It was not possible to correlate the time of failure (April 7, 2006, 14:06 GMT) with the possible passage of the ISS through the SSA, in virtue of limited access to orbital data.…”