How will strong solar storms affect astronauts on Mars?

NASA plans to combine two of its Mars missions to study radiation during solar maximum, which begins in the coming months.

NASA is preparing to measure the effects of solar storms on Mars at solar maximum, a period when the Sun sends out a greater amount of radiation and charged particles. How would this impact future astronauts on the Red Planet? That’s what the space agency wants to know.

In the coming months, the Sun is expected to reach the peak of activity known as solar maximum, which occurs once every 11 years. During this period, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME) become more common and intense, creating solar storms.

Unlike Earth, which is protected by its magnetic field, Mars does not have a protective barrier against charged particles from CMEs. This makes the planet more exposed to harmful effects, which can affect both robotic missions and humans who will one day land there.

To better analyze the conditions on Mars when subjected to solar storms, NASA will use two of its probes: the RAD instrument, on board Curiosity, and MAVEN, a satellite in orbit around the Red Planet.

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RAD, for example, is capable of monitoring high-energy radiation that could affect future manned missions. It helps understand how solar particles interact with the planet’s atmosphere and how radiation can affect the preservation of signs of ancient microbial life.

In cooperation with MAVEN and its early warning system for solar flares and CMEs, the Curiosity team will know exactly when to watch closely for changes in RAD data. The strategy could also help discover whether solar storms are related to the disappearance of water on Mars.

One of the hypotheses that explains the lack of water there involves dust storms, often triggered when the planet is closest to the Sun in its orbit. Scientists want to observe how a global dust storm behaves when it coincides with a solar storm.

Source: NASA

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