  The recovery of cosmic ray protons of energy ~150-250 MeV/nuc in solar cycle
#23 from 2004 to 2010 has been followed at the Earth using IMP, ACE and balloon
data and also at V2 between 74-92 AU and at V1 beyond the heliospheric
termination shock (91-113 AU). The correlation coefficient between the
intensities the Earth and V1 during this time period, is 0.936, allowing for a
~0.9 year delay due to the solar wind propagation time from the Earth to the
outer heliosphere. To describe these intensity changes and to predict the
absolute intensities measured at all three locations we have used a simple
spherically symmetric (no drift) two-zone heliospheric transport model with
specific values for the diffusion coefficient in both the inner and outer
zones. The diffusion coefficient in the outer zone, from about 90 to 120 (130)
AU, is determined to be ~5-10 times smaller than that in the inner zone out to
90 AU. This means that the outer zone acts much like a diffusing barrier in
this model. The absolute magnitude of the intensities and the intensity changes
at V1 and the Earth are described to within a few percent by a diffusion
coefficient that varies with time by a factor ~4 in the inner zone and only
~1.8 (1.25) in the outer zone over the time period from 2004-2010. These
diffusion coefficients and their variations are essentially the same as those
derived earlier from a similar study using He nuclei of the same energy. This
model and the diffusion coefficients used provide a total modulation potential
at the Earth ~250 MV in 2009. The difference ~10-20% between calculated and
observed intensities at V2 can be explained if the heliosphere is squashed by
~10% in distance (non-spherical) so that the HTS is closer to the Sun in the
direction of V2 compared to V1.
