The breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, reminded the public--and NASA--of the grave risks posed to spa

The effects of the natural space environments on spacecraft design, development, and operation are the topic of a series of NASA Reference Publications currentl

Provides a brief overview of the natural space environment - definition, related programmatic issues, and effects on various spacecraft subsystems. The primary

Spacecraft depend on electronic components that must perform reliably over missions measured in years and decades. Space radiation is a primary source of degrad