2023-08-27 03:00:00
Solar flare that occurred in 2016. Image: NASA Enzo Campetella Meteored Argentina 27/08/2023 05:00 6 min
The fact was new because for the first time, instruments located in different parts of the solar system captured the radiation of the same coronal mass ejection from the Sun. Mars and Earth were on opposite sides of the Sun during this rare event. On October 28, 2021, a huge explosion of plasma and magnetized particles erupted from the Sun, bathing the Earth, Moon and Mars in radiation. And, for the first time, the instruments of the three bodies measured the same event almost simultaneously.
On Mars, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) probe and NASA’s Curiosity rover have recorded the arrival of energized particles. On the Moon, these particles were captured by the China National Space Administration’s Chang’e-4 and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). And closer to home, the German Aerospace Center’s Eu:CROPIS satellite detected the radiation coming from low Earth orbit. The effects of this particular solar event were published Aug. 8 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, as reported by Live Science.
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Being able to understand these phenomena, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), is crucial for future space exploration., including missions planned to send astronauts to Mars and establish a scientific outpost on the Moon. These are events that future astronaut missions to space will have to deal with.
The most protected Earth
On Earth, our magnetic field acts as a shield once morest the most dangerous solar flares. But the Moon and Mars lack this protective magnetosphere, which means a lot more radiation reaches their surfaces.. All of this radiation can have a negative impact on astronauts. Exposure to high doses of radiation can cause skin irritation, nausea, blood disorders, weakened immunity and even cancer, according to a 2014 study published in the National Library of Medicine.
In acute cases, it can cause burns and neurological degeneration. A dangerous dose is considered to be around 700 milligray (1 gray is a unit of radiation). Fortunately, the October 28 CME was much weaker than that, reaching only around 31 milligray, but CMEs are becoming more frequent and intense as the Sun approaches the peak of its 11-year solar activity cycle. , which might begin as early as the end of 2023.
What happened at the 3 points where the data was obtained provided very valuable information. According to the newly published study, our Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere rendered the radiation from the event negligible by the time it reached our planet’s surface. The surface of Mars received regarding one-thirtieth of the initial dose thanks to the dampening effects of its atmosphere. But just over half of the CME’s initial radiation dose reached the Moon’s surface, where there is no additional shielding.
Think regarding future missions
With these data, radiation received on the Moon might be far more harmful to astronauts than that received on the surface of Mars, which, with a thin atmosphere, can still repel more energy. While this particular CME isn’t powerful enough to make a human sick, half the radiation from a larger explosion might be fatal.
Studying where and how CMEs hit bodies beyond Earth might help scientists develop the shielding needed to protect future astronauts.
The SOHO probe took images of a solar flare that occurred on October 28, 2021. Image: ESA/NASA.
Colin Wilson, ExoMars TGO project scientist, said: “Space radiation can pose a real danger to our exploration of the entire solar system. With data from missions like ExoMars, we can prepare to better protect our human explorers.”
Space agencies study specific instruments to measure radiation in space and obtain information that facilitates this development. NASA’s Lunar Gateway, a planned space station in lunar orbit, will be equipped with three sets of instruments to monitor the radiative environment around the Moon. The Artemis 1 mission also tested a protective vest worn by a dummy that flew to the Moon and returned in late 2022, Chron said.
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