The Priority Mismatch Between Space Science and Satellite Operations

A satellite contends with four primary hazards presented by the radiation and plasma environment in space: Single event effects, internal charging, surface charging, and event total dose. Single event effects (SEE) are caused by protons and heavy ions with energies of 10s of MeV/amu; internal charging is caused by highly dynamic belts of electrons with energies above about 100 keV that penetrate inside a vehicle; surface charging is caused by electrons with energies of 10s of keV that interact with spacecraft surfaces; event total dose is caused primarily by solar protons and possibly also by transient belts of trapped particles, typically protons with energies near 10 MeV. We believe that all of these hazards are neglected in one way or another by the scientific component of the space weather community.