NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has been roaming Mars for more than twelve years, recorded the direct consequences of a solar storm using its navigation cameras. The images obtained show white traces and black dots, which are the result of the impact of charged particles on the equipment.
Mars less well protected than Earth
The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) measured the highest dose ever recorded on Mars: 8,100 micrograys, which is equivalent to approximately thirty chest x-rays.
This data is crucial to prepare for future manned missions, planned by NASA in the 2030s. Don Hassler, the principal investigator of the RAD, stressed the importance of finding areas offering natural shelter, such as cliffs or tubes lava, which could provide additional protection against this type of solar event.
At the same time, the MAVEN orbiter observed auroras on Mars, a phenomenon similar to that recently seen on our good old Earth. However, unlike our planet which benefits from a magnetic field protecting its surface and concentrates auroras at the poles, Mars does not have a global magnetic field.
Auroras therefore appear across the entire planet. A fascinating spectacle for local residents (there are none), but also highlights Mars’ direct exposure to solar energetic particles, which poses additional challenges for protecting astronauts.
During these events, the Sun emits a wide range of energetic particles. Only the most energetic of them can reach the surface to be measured by the RAD detector. The slightly less energetic particles, those that cause aurora, are detected by MAVEN’s Solar Energetic Particle Instrument.
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Christina Lee, space weather manager for the orbiter, said it was “ the largest energetic solar particle event ever observed by MAVEN. » The intensity and frequency of solar storms over the past few weeks indicate that this active region of the sun could continue to emit flares, affecting both Earth and Mars.
The data collected by Curiosity and MAVEN are essential not only for planning future manned missions to Mars, but also for improving our understanding of space weather in general. The ESCAPADE project, scheduled for launch at the end of 2024, will use satellites to observe space weather from Mars with a precision never before achieved, offering new perspectives on these complex phenomena.
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