Solar Storms and Flying to Mars
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Space Weather↗
Engineering topics
Robert D Loper
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Solar Storms and Flying to Mars
Solar energetic particles (SEP) are a significant concern for interplanetary human spaceflight. Here we consider SEP radiation hazards for humans on long-duration deep space missions, such as NASA’s 850-day mission concept set to launch in time to get there by 2040. Astronauts must deal not only with possible accumulated dose, but also with acute hazards that can develop in approximately the same time scale as the speed-of-light communications time. We discuss the space weather infrastructure needed in the vicinity of the spacecraft and/or Mars to alleviate the SEP radiation hazard.
space weather↗
Deflection of Solar Energetic Protons by an Ion Thruster
While Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) represent a long-term cancer risk to deep space human missions, Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) represent a significant acute radiation hazard to human spaceflight. This work investigates wave-particle interactions caused by the incidence of a beam of energetic protons, representing a notional SEP event, onto a cloud of ions representing a notional ion thruster plume. The resulting electromagnetic ion/ion instability is developed to investigate the degree to which energetic protons can be scattered out of the initial beam. This work includes investigations of deflection rate dependences on incident SEP energy and flux, ion thruster power and orientation relative to SEP incidence, plume ion species, and background plasma. Also investigated are the spectrum and angular distribution of electromagnetic radiation resulting from the wave-particle interactions. The primary objective of this investigation is to develop a technique for active mitigation of SEP radiation threats to spacecraft and crew, by exploring the wave-particle interaction of a SEP event with the plasma plume expelled from an ion thruster. Since the cost in expended fuel restricts this technique to intermittent use during interplanetary flights, effective prediction of when a SEP event might impact the mission is still important, and the observation of conditions that might lead to SEP events, human-in-the-loop space weather analyses, and development of SEP prediction models remain essential to crew safety, spacecraft function, and mission success.
Interplanetary Space Flight↗
Analysis of the Heliospheric Conditions Leading to the February 2022 Geomagnetic Storm Event
The February 2022 geomagnetic storm was a moderate but extended event that may have been associated with two interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) arrivals. The first of these coronal mass ejections (CMEs) was first visible in SOHO LASCO C2 coronagraph imagery on 29 January and may be associated with the arrival of an interplanetary shock at L1 late on 1 February, followed by the separate arrival of a flux rope at L1 approximately one day afterward. The second CME was first visible in SOHO LASCO C2 coronagraph imagery on 1 February and may be associated with the arrival of a weaker interplanetary shock at L1 late on 3 February, just hours after the SpaceX launch. While the second arrival was relatively weak, it further enhanced geomagnetic conditions that had resulted from the first arrival. This work analyzes the two CMEs, their propagation into interplanetary space, and their associated geomagnetic impacts.
Coronal Mass Ejection↗