Radiation from sudden solar flares is a danger to airline passengers and now space tourists, scientists say

Are airline passengers exposed to radiation in the form of galactic cosmic rays and occasional solar flares? Yes, says a new study published in Scientific reports, but he advises against the aviation industry to take drastic measures.

Amid a constant stream of galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles raining down on planes, the higher altitude and latitude of flights, the higher radiation doses to the crew and passengers.

This involves space tourism as well as aviation.

Since a large solar flare can double the annual exposure limit, action must be taken. The remedy is for planes to lower their altitude or change or completely cancel flight paths.

This greatly increases the expenses of the airlines. Is it worth it? No, says new research from Kyoto University in Japan, which indicates that the frequency of major solar flares that would cause a problem is only about once every 17 years.

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What are galactic cosmic rays?

Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) are still bombarding the Earth’s atmosphere. Coming from the gas and dust between stars, this background energy source of charged particles varies as it interacts with the Sun’s magnetic field, but not by much.

Fluxes in the GCR are stable and predictable, the document says, with dose rates not exceeding 10 µSv / h - a safe level - at the normal cruising altitude of 40,000 feet (7.5 miles / 12 km ).

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What are solar flares?

Another constant source of radiation is solar energetic particles (SEP). A flow of high-energy particles that comes to us day and night from the Sun, the Earth’s magnetic field mainly protects us and displays beautiful auroras around the arctic and antarctic circles. But what about large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which are unpredictable, but do occur?

We know that massive solar storms once a century could damage the power grid, communications systems, and satellites - and most certainly the internet - but what about aviation?

“During a large solar particle event, we see sudden SEP fluxes with dose rates exceeding 2 mSv / h, but these are rare and short-lived,” said Yosuke Yamashiki, University of Kyoto, who led the research team.

This is double the annual exposure limit.

What is a “ground level improvement?” “

A GLE is an unexpected peak in radiation. In order to assess whether planes should mitigate the effects of these events, the research team evaluated eight flight routes over five GLEs.

They estimate that the maximum dose and dose rate on the flight route resulting from major GLE events should exceed 1 mSv and 80 µSv / h, respectively, before airlines are worth taking action to protect aircraft. passengers and staff.

In Japan, the Radiation Council sets a target value for the radiation dose at 5 mSv per year for airline crew members, but only 1 mSv for passengers.

However, GLE events of a magnitude that could deliver such a dose to passengers only occur once every 17 years for a maximum dose.

So does the risk justify the cost?

Since the cost of rerouting or delaying a flight could be around $ 1,500 for a long-haul flight flown every day, probably not. “There is no denying the potentially debilitating effects of radiation exposure, but the data suggests that current measures may over-compensate for the real risks,” Yamashiki said.

What about space tourism?

Since Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have now started their space tourism efforts, the threat from radiation should be even more quantified, the researchers argue. “Because the risk of exposure to solar radiation is expected to be higher in Space X, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin’s space travel plans, it will be even more important to quantify the risk using the method developed in this study. study, to propose measures. reduce exposure and develop a risk mitigation plan, ”the report reads. “However, in order to make concrete proposals, a more accurate risk assessment based on detailed operational plans is essential, and we will continue to conduct such research in cooperation with the organizations concerned.”

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.