(NewsNation) – A huge solar storm that impacted the Earth also affected Marsand data suggests that radiation levels on the Red Planet could pose a challenge for human exploitation of the planet.
A record-breaking solar storm made the aurora borealis visible in far southern North Carolina, people dazzle with the view of dancing light not normally seen in most of the U.S.
This same storm also hit Mars and also caused an aurora there. Data of NASA’s Odyssey and MAVEN orbiters (which stands for “Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution”) and the Rover curiosity showed what happened when solar flares hit the planet.
Auroras on Mars operate differently than they do on Earth. The dancing colors are created by charged particles in the atmosphere. On Earth, a magnetic field channels these particles toward the poles, which is why they are typically only seen at high latitudes.
But Mars does not have such a field, having lost it in ancient times. Because of this, if Martians existed, they would be able to see auroras all over the planet.
Curiosity had a similar view, although the radiation caused distortion in the rover’s cameras. Data from Curiosity and orbiters gave NASA scientists valuable information about the amount of radiation on the Red Planet.
Data shown that radiation near Curiosity was about 8,100 micrograys, which is equivalent to 30 chest x-rays. While it’s not a deadly amount for a person, it’s also far more than anyone would want to be exposed to, especially since astronauts on Mars would likely face multiple exposures like this.
Astronauts can also experience visual distortions similar to those from Curiosity’s cameras, with many on the International Space Station describing seeing “fireworks” behind their eyes when they close them during a radiation storm.
So what does this mean for future exploration?
Scientists say the data shows that shielding on Mars should be a serious concern for any manned missions, raising the possibility that cliffs or lava tubes could play a role in such efforts. This could also impact agriculture on the planet. This would be a necessity because takes nine months to travel to Mars, and astronauts would have to wait a minimum of three months on the planet before a suitable window to make a return trip.
There is likely to be more data to investigate, as the sunspot that caused the previous storms has continued to show activity.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
