Atomic can cause as much but not as often damage that EM (electromagnetic) radiation can cause. Along with the bit flips that Ben mentioned is the more permanent damage that Gamma radiation can cause. Pitchblende is a Uranium/Radium source ore. Both of those radionuclide's produce mainly Alpha radiation not Gamma. Your old Civil Defense device depending on what type it is may be more sensitive to Gamma and unless you paid to keep it calibrated any numbers the device gives you have a low value of reliability. Atomic radiation will produce more long term issues than short term issues. EM will produce more short term issues and less long term issues. NASA has to fight both.
Jon On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 5:26 PM, Brougham Baker <[email protected]>wrote: > From: "Phillip Partipilo" <[email protected]> > > I've been curious about what exactly Nasa does when they talk about >> making >> all of their equipment "radiation hardened". Just what kind of radiation >> does make a computer go flippy? I got a rock of Pitchblende (uranium ore) >> on Ebay that's reasonably hot, it makes my old civil defense geiger >> counter >> go off-scale at the x100 setting, even with the beta shield in the way, >> and >> I plopped that right smack on top of the memory banks of a computer >> running >> Memtest86, and no change. >> > > Surely they/you mean electromagnetic radiation not atomic radiation? > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
