Methodology and equipment for space-based monitoring of ionizing solar radiation

This paper discusses the necessity for permanent monitoring of ionizing sol ar radiation in a spectral range from 0.8 to 120 nm, which is most importan t for geophysics. Such monitoring of the parameters of the solar activity i s absent so far solely because of the methodological and technical complexi ty of measurements in this spectral range at spacecraft. A description is g iven of the entire set of equipment for such a space-based patrol comprisin g a radiometer with foil, film, and crystal filters and two diffraction-gra ting spectrometers of the grazing-beam and normal-incidence types. The set of equipment allows absolute spectral measuring of the total radiation flux from the solar disk in the x-ray and UV spectral regions from 0.14 to 153 nm. The results of the work on upgrading the set of space-based patrol equi pment are presented. (C) 1998 The Optical Society of America. [S1070-9762(9 8)02012-0].