NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Reveals Red Planet's Surface Radiation

The data from NASA's Mars Curiosity rover is revealing new information each and every day. Now, scientists have shown that they've received the first detailed radiation measurements from the surface of the Red Planet. The findings reveal a little bit more about the environment of this planet.

The new data comes from the first 300 days of the Mars Science Laboratory surface mission. As the Curiosity rover cruised around the Gale Crater, the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) made detailed measurements of the radiation environment. There was one spike in the radiation dose associated with one hard solar energetic particle event and three dips in radiation associated with soft interplanetary coronal mass ejections.

"Our measurements provide crucial information for human missions to Mars," said Don Hassler, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We're continuing to monitor the radiation environment, and seeing the effects of major solar storms on the surface and at different times in the solar cycle will give additional important data. Our measurements also tie into Curiosity's investigations about habitability. The radiation sources that are of concern for human health also affect microbial survival as well as the preservation of organic chemicals."

There are two forms of radiation that pose potential health risk to astronauts: a chronic low dose of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and short-term exposures to the solar energetic particles (SEPs) that are associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Both of these pose challenges for future human exploration of Mars and make it more important than ever to understand the planet's surface radiation. Both GCRs and SEPs interact with the atmosphere and, if energetic enough, penetrate the Martian soil where they produce secondary particles that contribute to the radiation environment.

According to the RAD data, most radiation exposure for astronauts will be during outbound and return travel. This is when they will be exposed to the radiation environment in interplanetary space, shielded only by the spacecraft itself. Understanding this exposure is particularly important since long-term radiation exposure can increase a person's lifetime cancer risk.

The findings reveal a little bit more about the surface conditions of Mars. As NASA and other agencies prepare for future missions, this data and information is particularly important for planning purposes.

The findings are published in the journal Science.