For the first time, scientists recorded a solar storm that impacted the Earth, the Moon, and Mars simultaneously via an international fleet of spacecraft. As per MailOnline's report, the energetic particles bypassed Earth's magnetic field, which usually offers protection.
On the other hand, the Moon and Mars, lacking magnetic fields, faced the brunt of the solar storm, raising concerns for potential future human exploration in these regions.
Rare Solar Storm Surpasses Earth's Magnetosphere
On October 28, 2021, a solar storm was detected, and the findings were recently published by scientists. The event was observed by multiple spacecraft, including the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, the China National Space Administration's Moon lander, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the German Aerospace Center's Eu:CROPIS Earth orbiter.
The solar storm represented a rare 'ground-level enhancement,' wherein the energetic particles released in the explosion could penetrate Earth's magnetic bubble, which usually shields us from less intense solar outbursts.
This event marked the 73rd ground-level enhancement recorded since the 1940s and the first time a solar storm impacted three planetary surfaces simultaneously, namely Earth, the moon, and Mars.
Unlike Earth, the moon and Mars lack magnetic protection, allowing solar particles to interact with the soil and create secondary generation. Although the 2021 solar storm did not release enough radiation to harm astronauts in lunar orbit, understanding such events is crucial for future crewed missions to the moon's surface.
The study, titled "The First Ground Level Enhancement Seen on Three Planetary Surfaces: Earth, Moon, and Mars" published in Geophysical Research Letters, revealed significant differences in radiation levels, with ExoMars measuring 9 milligray, 30 times higher than the 0.3 milligray detected by the Curiosity rover on Mars.
Other spacecraft, including ESA's Solar Orbiter, SOHO, and BepiColombo, were also affected, providing additional perspectives to study this solar event.
Protecting Astronauts From Space Radiation
Ensuring astronaut safety in space is vital. Radiation-measuring instruments protect spaceborne infrastructure and astronauts, providing timely warnings for protection.
For the Artemis program's lunar missions, ESA explains in the news release that a space station called the Gateway will orbit the Moon and host three instrument suites monitoring the radiation environment around the Moon.
The European Radiation Sensors Array (ERSA) from ESA, NASA's Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite (HERMES), and the ESA/JAXA Internal Dosimeter Array (IDA) will collectively measure radiation doses between 3000 km and 70,000 km from the lunar surface. These measurements are crucial in understanding the radiation environment for astronauts on interplanetary missions.
Space agencies are also exploring protective attire to mitigate the impact of space radiation on the human body. Two identical mannequins, Helga and Zohar, modeled on the female body and equipped with radiation sensors, flew on the Artemis I test flight.
Zohar wore a new radiation protection vest covering her torso, allowing researchers to compare the datasets collected by both mannequins and study the effectiveness of the protective gear.
ExoMars TGO project scientist, Colin Wilson, emphasizes that high-level radiation measurements from robotic missions like ExoMars TGO are crucial in preparing for long-duration crewed missions and ensuring the safety of human explorers during interplanetary travel.
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