Single Event Environment (SEE) Effects on Spacecraft Avionics Systems

The space-flight ionizing radiation environment is dominated by very high-kinetic energy-charged particles with relatively smaller contributions from neutrons, X-rays, and gamma rays. Strikes by individual high-energy charged particles and neutrons can cause data corruption, lock-ups, or even hard failures of mission-critical spacecraft electronics. Dr. Steven Koontz’s lecture will provide a solid foundation in the basic engineering physics underlying safety, reliability and missions’ success risks posed by the SEE environment in low-Earth orbit, Earth’s magnetosphere, and cis-lunar space.