Solar Storms and Radiation Exposure on Commercial Flights
A 100,000 Mile (160934Km) frequent flyer gets about 20 chest x-rays
The study found that aircrew and passengers during the Chicago to Beijing flight, for example, would have been exposed to about 12 percent of the annual radiation limit recommended by the International Committee on Radiological Protection. But these exposures were greater than on typical flights at lower latitudes, and confirmed the concerns about commercial flights at high latitudes.
Flying high above Earth with little atmosphere to protect them, they can absorb significant doses of cosmic rays and solar radiation
The study considered not only everyday radiation emanating from space, but also the additional energy unleashed during a solar storm, which can be profound. NASA scientists say not including geomagnetic effects on solar radiation in modeling radiation exposure could underestimate the dosage by 30 to 300 percent.
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