It does not protect the space beneath it from the raw exposure of the sun? I mean *under* the belts, not in them. I do realize that radiation at the ISS is above that of sea level but I thought it was less than, say, geo-synchonous orbit, for example. I could have swore I read that polar orbits are more hazardous as well, do to the fact the Van Allen belts don't go that far north. When I have time, I need to hunt down the references...

I WAS WRONG

I discovered at question 41 at this NASA FAQ on the magnetosphere that is the very rarefied atmosphere in low Earth orbit, not the radiation belts, that provide the extra protection you do not get from Deep Space.

Thank you for making me look this up and unlearn my misconception.

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I came for the astronomy but I do love the physics!