Approximate angular distribution and spectra for geomagnetically trapped protons in low-Earth orbit

The highly anisotropic nature of the radiation in the low‐Earth orbit has been ignored for most spacecraft shielding calculations made to date because the standard environmental models describe the omnidirectional flux only, because the varying attitude of the spacecraft in the environment is assumed to average out the effect and because of the added complexity of the calculation. The Space Station is planned to be stabilized with respect to the velocity vector and local vertical. Thus it will pass through the South Atlantic Anomaly where most of the radiation flux is encountered in much the same attitude on each pass. Any calculation including a complex shielding geometry should thus consider the angular distribution of the incident radiation. An approximate trapped proton angular distribution is presented which includes both the ‘‘pan caked’’ distribution relative to the magnetic field direction and the east‐west effect which is energy dependent. This distribution is then used with a planar shielding geometry to obtain an estimate of the effect of the anisotropy on radiation dose rates in spacecraft.