As some of you may know, the manned landing on Mars is expected to take place in the next 10 years. But before humanity sets foot on the surface of the Red Planet, scientists have many questions to answer to ensure the safety of people sent to the planet.
One of the things that may pose a threat to humans on the surface of Mars stands out as the amount of cosmic radiation raining down on the planet and galactic cosmic light (GCR) particles. A newly published study offers a potential solution that could protect against harmful radiation in the Martian atmosphere and provide future building materials for astronauts.
Protection from harmful effects in the Martian atmosphere may be possible by going underground
Probably emanating from cosmic events such as supernovas, the magnetosphere, which comes from outside the solar system and largely surrounds the Earth, is called the magnetosphere. It may be possible to define GCRs that bounce off magnetic fields as high-energy particles composed essentially of ‘every element’. Overexposure to GCR particles can cause many health problems for people, including cancer, cataracts, and central nervous system damage. The fact that Mars lacks a magnetic field to prevent these particles from freely entering its atmosphere and reaching its surface means that the Red Planet is extremely rich in GCR.
According to the new study in question, going deep to the surface of Mars may be the key to protection from high radiation and GCR particles on the planet.
Accordingly, when GCRs enter the atmosphere of Mars, which consists mainly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, they lose a lot of energy through ionization, which prevents these particles from reaching the surface. According to the study authors, this is largely dependent on the thickness of the atmosphere and the amount of atmospheric pressure applied to the surface. In short, on Mars, whose topography is as diverse as the Earth, the thickness of the atmosphere may vary depending on the point, and this may cause the amount of radiation reaching the surface to vary.
The thickness of the Martian atmosphere varies
On the other hand, the researchers also found that the interaction between the GCRs and the atmosphere creates another type of harmful radiation called secondary neutron particles. they discovered. According to the research, greater atmospheric shielding caused less damage to the Martian surface by secondary neutrons.
On top of that, the researchers used radiation data collected by NASA’s Curiosity instrument and called the Atmospheric Radiation Interaction Simulator (AtRIS) to simulate GCR exposure on the planet’s surface and measure how deeply it penetrates surface dirt and rock, known as regolith. They used state-of-the-art computer modeling provided.
As a result of their analysis, it was understood that the effective radiation dose peaked within about 30 centimeters of the regolith. Following this, the researchers determined that a regolith shield between 1 and 1.6 meters would be required for safe settlement on Mars. “In a deep crater where the surface pressure is higher, the extra regolith protection required is slightly less,” said the study’s authors.
What does this research mean for Mars travel?
So why is this so important? Accordingly, understanding how Martian material is affected by GCRs and the role it plays in altering the radiation exposure of the planet’s atmosphere; It could be an extremely important step towards building a base on Mars in the future.
“It has long been discussed that astronauts could use natural geological structures such as cave skylights or lava tubes as radiation shelters on Mars,” the researchers said. can serve to reduce radiation risks when designing their habitats.” He also draws attention to the importance of his research.
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