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Both humans and onboard radiosensitive systems (electronics, materials, payloads and experiments) are exposed to the deleterious effects of the harsh space radiations found in the space environment. The purpose of this paper is to present the space radiation environment extended to deep space based on environment models for the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn and compare these radiation environments with the earth's radiation environment, which is used as a comparative baseline. The space radiation environment consists of high-energy protons and electrons that are magnetically “trapped” in planetary bodies that have an intrinsic magnetic field; this is the case for earth, Jupiter, and Saturn (the moon and Mars do not have a magnetic field). For the earth this region is called the “Van Allen belts,” and models of both the trapped protons (AP-8 model) and electrons (AE-8 model) have been developed.

The rising cost of fuel prices, in part due to the perception of diminishing supplies of common fuelstocks, as well as worldwide attention to reducing emissions has pushed the need to explore the use of many alternative fuels. The aviation industry has been under recent scrutiny due to its contribution of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Current contribution of GHG by airplanes is relatively small, 2% of the total GHG emissions, but world air traffic is anticipated to continue to grow and may have a corresponding increase in emissions. Both commercial and government aviation sectors have efforts to seek ways to lower fuel consumption through efficiency and reduce emissions. Development of a suitable alternative fuel that can be seamlessly used in place of conventional jet fuel is desirable. A strategy to enable this goal is to be fuel flexible; utilizing an array of fuels from bio-diesel to current jet fuel.