Space radiation with extra punch a hazard for high flying aircraft

Solar winds sending charged particles to Earth in 'clouds' can double normal exposure to radiation on long-haul flights

Space weather is not usually noticeable on Earth, but research suggests that it may produce blasts of radiation that do affect air travellers. Fortunately, this occurs in localised "clouds" which aircraft could avoid, just as they can avoid clouds of volcanic dust.

The research, published in the journal Space Weather, is connected to the Nasa-funded Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (Armas) project. Scientists already knew that there was more radiation at higher altitudes; a long-haul flight can give you the same exposure as a chest X-ray. However, it was a surprise when, during six of 265 test flights, radiation levels shot up far beyond the normal levels.