The NRL SOLRAD X-ray detectors: A summary of the observations and a comparison with the SMS/GOES detectors

The Naval Research Laboratory flew solar X-ray ionization chamber detectors on a series of Solar Radiation (SOLRAD) satellites from 1960 through 1979. The flare responses of the SOLRAD 11 detectors are compared with those of the similar NOAA SMS/GOES detectors during two periods of common observations. The nominal GOES fluxes exceed those of SOLRAD 11 by a factor of 1.5–2 in the 0.5–4 Å band, but fall below those of SOLRAD by a factor of 2–4 in the 1–8 Å band. Significant passband differences account for these relationships between the detector responses. Since the X-ray detectors are standardized among the various SOLRAD satellites, and all detectors are closely matched among the various SMS/GOES satellites, these conversion factors allow the SOLRAD flare observations to serve as proxies for GOES X-ray observations prior to the GOES era. We summarize the detector characteristics and data sources of the 0.5–3 Å and 1–8 Å detectors for the SOLRAD series.