02. Are there different kinds of radiation in space? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Outside of the Earth's protective shield, ionizing radiation is the radiation of concern for human spaceflight: Ionizing radiation, when absorbed in a living cell, ionizes atoms or molecules and may result in cell death or changes leading to cancer or other changes years after exposure. Ionizing radiation can be grouped into three classes of energy: 1. Galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) is composed of very low-density (in terms of the number of particles per cubic area of space), high-energy particles created outside the solar system. 2. Geomagnetically trapped radiation is composed of electrons and protons from solar wind trapped in and orbiting the Earth (or other planet with a similar magnetic field) along its magnetic field lines. 3. Solar particle radiation is composed of high-energy protons ejected from the Sun. Solar particle ejections occur most often during solar flares.

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Answer provided by Nancy J. Lindsey

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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