What kind of radiation would you face outside of the Earth's atmosphere?....?

Question

What kind of radiation would you face outside of the Earth's atmosphere? Is it the same as alpha, beta and gamma particles from radioactive material?

Answer 1

Beta particles are easy to stop so astronauts are not exposed to much beta radiation. There are also few sources of gamma radiation. But alpha radiation composed of hydrogen nuclei are common because of the solar wind from our sun. Every once in a while, the sun has a major eruption called a solar flare and that is when astronauts are exposed to a lot of alpa radiation. If traveling to Mars, this would be a major problem and would require a lot of shielding to protect the astronauts.

Answer 2

Radiation comes from many sources. Light from the sun produces a range of wavelengths from long-wave infrared to short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV). Background radiation in space is composed of high-energy X-rays, gamma rays and cosmic rays, which all can play havoc with the cells in our bodies.

Answer 3

Definitely x-rays and gamma rays. Since alpha consist of a He nucleus, you may not face too many of them in the vacuum of space. You may be exposed to more beta (high-speed electrons) than alpha.