03. Does radiation penetrate the Space Shuttle? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

The Space Shuttle flies in low Earth orbit so it is protected by the magnetic field of the Earth from some forms of radiation, but that field also contains geomagnetically trapped radiation—so yes, the Shuttle is exposed to that low level radiation. This same protective field that contains low-level radiation is also not perfect. There is one area in the field where excessive radiation still exists. Known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (0-60 degrees W & 20-50 degrees S) orbits, work in this area is kept to a minimum. Radiation cannot be blocked, so radiation does penetrate the Space Shuttle, but the Shuttle's shielding and structure, and mission planning, do minimize radiation penetration.

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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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