Radiation and the Van Allen Belt

The Particles in the Van Allen Belt

Server Sky arrays in the initial m288 orbit are in the "slot" between the inner and outer Van Allen belts. The radiation is somewhat lower, but still very high. The main difference between the belts is the mechanisms creating them.

The inner belt is mostly created by C.R.A.N.D. - Cosmic Ray Associated Neutron Decay. Cosmic rays striking the upper atmosphere split atoms and generate neutrons with energies above 30MeV. Unbound neutrons have a half-life of 10 minutes and move at more than 10% of the speed of light. The neutrons undergo beta decay and split into an electron, a proton, an