Payload for assessing aging of electronic components under high flux radiation in the Van Allen Belts.

The hardware for a scientific payload to be flown on a satellite was developed, aimeing to investigate aging of electronic components under high-flux radiation. The components under investigation are: microcontrollers, a gyroscopes, and triple-junction solar cells. It consists of pairs of components, kept with different level of protection against the harsh environment, as found in the Van Allen belts. In each pair one device is highly protected against radiation by means of screens based on well established materials and design rules. Otherwise, the twins of these components are directly exposed to the environment. The behaviour of both is monitored by observing their capability to perform basic operations as well as their power absorption. In addition to characterizatin of aging of the components under test, the experiments will provide interesting information about effectiveness of different screening techniques.