Copies of lecture notes will appear here as the course proceeds. They are for reference only, and should not be used to replace your own lecture notes. You will find the course much harder if you don't create your own written version, so please do not print these notes out in quantity.

The notes from the first five lectures of this course can be found here

Space plasmas atmospheric and plasma effects on spacecraft; Van Allen Belts; atmospheric drag in circular and elliptical orbits; ballistic coefficients and orbital decay; circularisation of orbits and aerobraking

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Pictures: [ ISS altitude]

Radiation and particle hazards Magnetospheric particles, cosmic rays and solar particles; the South Atlantic Anomaly; radiation dose and the need to shield; stopping power of materials; linear energy transfer; electron transfer through materials; proton and heavy ion transfer; bremsstrahlung; orbital debris and associated hazards.

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Pictures: [SAA | solar protons hitting SOHO ]