ANALYSIS OF THE ABSORBED DOSE MEASUREMENTS OUTSIDE THE MIR-SPACE-STATION IN JUNE JULY 1991

The paper contains data about measurements of the absorbed dose attenu ation curve with thin thermoluminescent detectors in a flight of the M IR Space Station in June-July 1991, i.e. in the period of existence of a ''new'' belt of trapped radiation that supposedly emerged on 24 Mar ch 1991. For X < 0.03 g/cm(2), dose rate was shown to exceed 1 Gy/day conforming with calculations using model descriptions. Some methodical aspects associated with the use of U.S. and Russian models of trapped radiation are discussed. Comparison of experimental data concerning a bsorbed doses with calculations based on the model descriptions of the radiation environment of near-Earth space reveal a 2-3-fold excess of the experimental measurements over the theoretical values obtained fo r AE8 at 0.03 < 0.3 g/cm(2) and for the Russian model at 0.05 < 0.15 g /cm(2). This difference may be related to the input of a ''new'' belt of quasi-trapped particles disregarded in current models. Copyright (C ) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd