FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-21/06

Title and Subtitle: CARI-7 Documentation: User's Guide

Report Date: March 2021

Authors: Copeland K

Abstract: This report is a guide to the use and maintenance the CARI-7 programs (CARI-7 and CARI-7A). Primary cosmic radiation from both the Sun and interstellar space enters Earth's atmosphere in varying amounts, As a result, aircrews and passengers are exposed to ionizing radiation in amounts that depend on severable variables. Outside of Earth's atmosphere, cosmic radiation is modulated by solar activity and Earth's magnetic field. Once the radiation enters Earth's atmosphere, it interacts with Earth's atmosphere in the same manner regardless of its point of origin (solar or galactic).

CARI (Civil Aeromedical Research Institute [this is the acronym for a previous name of what is now known as the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, or CAMI]) software for calculation of doses of ionizing radiation in the atmosphere from cosmic radiation has been in development at CAMI the since the late 1980s. While CARI-7 handles the data in the way most consistent with the Monte Carlo simulations, CARI-7A offers added options for users in the handling of these data.

Key Words: Ionizing radiation, dosimetry, CARI-7, CARI-7A, cosmic radiation, software, aircrews

No. of Pages: 53