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Dust on Mars: An Aeolian Threat to Human Exploration?

The NASA HEDS Program is duly concerned for human explorers regarding the potential hazard posed by the ubiquitous dust mantle on Mars. To evaluate properties of dust that could be hazardous to humans, the MPS 2001 Lander payload will include the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) experiment. This includes optical and atomic-force microscopy to evaluate soil grains for shape and size, wet chemistry to evaluate toxic substances, electrometry to evaluate triboelectric charging, and test-material palets to evaluate electrostatic and magnetic adhesion, and the hardness/abrasiveness of soil grains; these experimental subcomponents are delivered samples by the camera-equipped robotic arm of the lander which will acquire material from depths of 0.5 to 1.0 m in the soil. Data returned by MECA will be of value to both the BEDS and planetary/astrobiology communities. Dust poses a threat to human exploration because the martian system does not hydrologically or chemically remove fine particles that are being continuously generated by thermal, aeolian, and colluvial weathering, and by volcanism and impact over billions of years. The dust is extremely fine-grained, in copious quantities, ubiquitous in distribution, continually mobile, and a source of poorly-grounded static charges -- a suite of characteristics posing a particulate and electrical threat to explorers and their equipment. Dust is mobilized on global and regional scales, but probably also unpredictably and violently at local scales by dust devils. The latter might be expected in great abundance owing to near surface atmospheric instability (dust devils were detected by Pathfinder during its brief lifetime). Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest that space-suit materials subjected to windblown dust may acquire a uniform, highly adhesive dust layer that is also highly cohesive laterally owing to electrostatic forces. This layer will obscure visibility through the helmet visor, penetrate joints and fabrics, change the thermal properties of the suit, and possibly affect electronic/electrical suit functions. It is paramount that future missions address the issue of interparticle forces, and in particular, the role played by ionizing radiation in affecting these forces on Mars.

Marshall, J.↗

Dust on Mars: An Aeolian Threat to Human Exploration?

The NASA HEDS Program is duly concerned for human explorers regarding the potential hazard posed by the ubiquitous dust mantle on Mars. To evaluate properties of dust that could be hazardous to humans, the NMS 2001 Lander payload will include the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) experiment. This includes optical and atomic-force microscopy to evaluate soil grains for shape and size, wet chemistry to evaluate toxic substances, electrometry to evaluate triboelectric charging, and test-material palets to evaluate electrostatic and magnetic adhesion, and the hardness/abrasiveness of soil grains; these experimental subcomponents are delivered samples by the camera-equipped robotic arm of the lander which will acquire material from depths of 0.5 to 1.0 m in the soil. Data returned by MECA will be of value to both the hEDS and planetary/astrobiology communities. Dust poses a threat to human exploration because the martian system does not hydrologically or chemically remove fine particles that are being continuously generated by thermal, aeolian, and colluvial weathering, and by volcanism and impact over billions of years. The dust is extremely fine-grained, in copious quantities, ubiquitous in distribution, continually mobile, and a source of poorly-grounded static charges -- a suite of characteristics posing a particulate and electrical threat to explorers and their equipment. Dust is mobilized on global and regional scales, but probably also unpredictably and violently at local scales by dust devils. The latter might be expected in great abundance owing to near surface atmospheric instability (dust devils were detected by Pathfinder during its brief lifetime). Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest that space-suit materials subjected to windblown dust may acquire a uniform, highly adhesive dust layer that is also highly cohesive laterally owing to electrostatic forces. This layer will obscure visibility through the helmet visor, penetrate joints and fabrics, change the thermal properties of the suit, and possibly affect electronic/electrical suit functions. It is paramount that future missions address the issue of interparticle forces, and in particular, the role played by ionizing radiation in affecting these forces on Mars.

Marshall, J.↗

Simulation and Comparison of Martian Surface Ionization Radiation

The spectrum of energetic particle radiation and corresponding doses at the surface of Mars is being characterized by the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), one of ten science instruments on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover. The time series of dose rate for the first 300 Sols after landing on Mars on August 6, 2012 is presented here. For the comparison to RAD measurements of dose rate, Martian surface ionization radiation is simulated by utilizing observed space quantities. The GCR primary radiation spectrum is calculated by using the Badhwar-O'Neill 2011 (BO11) galactic cosmic ray (GCR) model, which has been developed by utilizing all balloon and satellite GCR measurements since 1955 and the newer 1997-2012 Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) measurements. In the BO11 model, solar modulation of the GCR primary radiation spectrum is described in terms of the international smoothed sunspot number and a time delay function. For the transport of the impingent GCR primary radiation through Mars atmosphere, a vertical distribution of atmospheric thickness at each elevation is calculated using the vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and pressure made by Mars Global Surveyor measurements. At Gale Crater in the southern hemisphere, the seasonal variation of atmospheric thickness is accounted for the daily atmospheric pressure measurements of the MSL Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) by using low- and high-density models for cool- and warm-season, respectively. The spherically distributed atmospheric distance is traced along the slant path, and the resultant directional shielding by Martian atmosphere is coupled with Curiosity vehicle for dose estimates. We present predictions of dose rate and comparison to the RAD measurements. The simulation agrees to within +/- 20% with the RAD measurements showing clearly the variation of dose rate by heliospheric conditions, and presenting the sensitivity of dose rate by atmospheric pressure, which has been found from the RAD experiments and driven by thermal tides on Martian surface.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗

Capability Demonstration of a 3D CdZnTe Detector on a High-Altitude Balloon Flight

In collaboration between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory, a 3D position-sensing CdZnTe (CZT) detector prototype was built and integrated into a high-altitude balloon platform to evaluate its performance in a space-like mixed-radiation environment. The detector prototype, Orion Eagle, was designed to operate in near-vacuum environments without any temperature regulation. Orion Eagle was hand-launched from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) at Fort Sumner, NM on September 26, 2021, and successfully operated throughout a 9-hour flight, which reached 38.5 km in altitude. The flight met its objectives, successfully detecting atmospheric gamma rays and galactic cosmic rays, and raising the Technical Readiness Level from 4 to 6 for large-volume 3D CZT detector technology for space applications. Ionization tracks produced by charged particles create spatial signatures in the detector that are distinguishable from discrete gamma-ray interactions. Therefore, the 3D position-sensing capabilities using pixelated electrodes on a CZT detector can help enable discrimination of background charged particles from gamma-ray events without an anticoincidence shield. The potential for background rejection capability, ambient-temperature operation, gamma-ray coded-aperture and Compton imaging, and near High Purity Germanium (HPGe) energy resolution motivate the use of large-volume 3D CZT imaging spectrometers in future space missions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Steady Nuclear Combustion in Rockets

The astrophysical theory of stationary nuclear reactions in stars is applied to the conditions that would be met in the practical engineering cases that would differ from the former, particularly with respect to the much lower combustion pressures, dimensions of the reacting volume, and burnup times. This application yields maximum rates of hear production per unit volume of reacting gas occurring at about 10(exp 8) K in the cases of reactions between the hydrogen isotopes, but yields higher rates for heavier atoms. For the former, with chamber pressures of the order of 100 atmospheres, the energy production for nuclear combustion reaches values of about 10(exp 4) kilocalories per cubic meter per second, which approaches the magnitude for the familiar chemical fuels. The values are substantially lower for heavier atoms, and increase with the square of the combustion pressure. The half-life of the burnup in the fastest reactions may drop to values as low as those for chemical fuels so that, despite the high temperature, the radiated energy can remain smaller than the energy produced, particularly if an inefficiently radiating (i.e., easily completely ionized reacting material like hydrogen), is used. On the other hand, the fraction of completely ionized particles in the gases undergoing nuclear combustion must not exceed a certain upper limit because the densities (approximately 10(exp -10) grams per cubic centimeter)) lie in the range of high vacua and only for the previously mentioned fraction of nonionized particles can mean free paths be retained small enough so that the chamber diameters of several dozen meters will suffice. Under these conditions it appears that continuously maintained stable nuclear reactions at practical pressures and dimensions are fundamentally possible and their application can be visualized as energy sources for power plants and propulsion units.

Saenger, E.↗

A windswept cometary tail on the Galactic center supergiant IRS 7

High-resolution VLA observations provide evidence of optically thick radio emission from IRS 7, a cool red supergiant star, located at a projected distance of roughly 1 1t-yr from the Galactic center. IRS 7 shows a remarkable tail of ionized gas pointing directly away from the compact nonthermal radio source at the Galactic center, Sgr A(asterisk). Given previous evidence for a strong source of UV emission and for a strong circumnuclear wind emanating from the Galactic center, the free-free emission from IRS 7 and its associated tail are interpreted in terms of the ionization and removal of the circumstellar envelope of the red supergiant either by the ram pressure of the nuclear wind or by the pressure of radiation arising from the immediate vicinity of Sgr A(asterisk). The wind mechanism is preferred because: (1) the force it can potentially exert is much greater; and (2) Sgr A(asterisk) is clearly not a known source of luminous energy in the near-IR, whereas it remains a plausible source of a hot, high-velocity wind. Also considered is the potential effect of a nuclear wind upon the atmospheres of red giants in the inner parsec.

Yusef-Zadeh, F.↗

Synthetic properties of starburst galaxies

We present the results of an extensive grid of evolutionary synthesis models for populations of massive stars. The parameter space has been chosen to correspond to conditions typically found in objects like giant H II regions, H II galaxies, blue compact dwarf galaxies, nuclear starbursts, and infrared luminous starburst galaxies. The models are based on the most up-to-date input physics for the theory of stellar atmospheres, stellar winds, and stellar evolution. A population of massive stars is not only important in terms of its output of radiation but also via its deposition of mechanical energy. The output of radiative and mechanical luminosity is compared at various starburst epochs. In a supernova dominated instantaneous starburst, the mechanical luminosity can be as large as almost 10% of the total radiative luminosity. This occurs when most massive O stars have disappeared, and the synthetic spectrum in the optical and near-ultraviolet is dominated by B and A stars. During this epoch, the output of ionizing radiation below 912 A becomes very small, as indicated by a very large Lyman discontinuity and a very small ratio of ionizing over mechanical luminosity. We discuss the relevance of these results for the interpretation of starburst galaxies, active galactic nuclei, and the energetics of the interstellar medium.

Leitherer, Claus↗

Stellar Laboratories II. New Zn Iv and Zn v Oscillator Strengths and Their Validation in the Hot White Dwarfs G191-B2B and RE0503-289

Context. For the spectral analysis of high-resolution and high-signal-to-noise (SN) spectra of hot stars, state-of-the-art non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model atmospheres are mandatory. These are strongly dependent on the reliability of the atomic data that is used for their calculation. In a recent analysis of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of the DA-type white dwarf G191B2B,21 Zn iv lines were newly identified. Because of the lack of Zn iv data, transition probabilities of the isoelectronic Ge vi were adapted for a first, coarse determination of the photospheric Zn abundance.Aims. Reliable Zn iv and Zn v oscillator strengths are used to improve the Zn abundance determination and to identify more Zn lines in the spectra of G191B2B and the DO-type white dwarf RE 0503289. Methods. We performed new calculations of Zn iv and Zn v oscillator strengths to consider their radiative and collisional bound-bound transitions in detail in our NLTE stellar-atmosphere models for the analysis of the Zn iv v spectrum exhibited in high-resolution and high-SN UV observations of G191B2B and RE 0503289. Results. In the UV spectrum of G191B2B, we identify 31 Zn iv and 16 Zn v lines. Most of these are identified for the first time in any star. We can reproduce well almost all of them at log Zn 5.52 0.2 (mass fraction, about 1.7 times solar). In particular, the Zn iv Zn v ionization equilibrium, which is a very sensitive Teff indicator, is well reproduced with the previously determined Teff 60 000 2000 K and log g 7.60 0.05. In the spectrum of RE 0503289, we identified 128 Zn v lines for the first time and determined log Zn 3.57 0.2 (155 times solar). Conclusions. Reliable measurements and calculations of atomic data are a pre-requisite for stellar-atmosphere modeling. Observed Zn iv and Zn v line profiles in two white dwarf (G191B2B and RE 0503289) ultraviolet spectra were well reproduced with our newly calculated oscillator strengths. This allowed us to determine the photospheric Zn abundance of these two stars precisely.

strengths↗

Results of ionization measurements in the middle atmosphere

Positive-ion electrical-conductivity measurements, which are now performed with 4-cm diameter meteorological rocket payloads, provide a simple means of monitoring the NO concentration in the mesosphere, as well as the ionization variability. A wavelike dynamical structure is observed at low latitudes. Parachute-borne Gerdien mobility analyzers show, in addition, ion mobility spectra which spread from much greater to much less than that expected for simple gas-phase ions in the mesosphere and also indicate an ion clustering chain in the stratosphere. Large particulate ions apparently form in the daytime and grow very large at night. An instrument combining the mobility analyzer with a flashing source of ionizing radiation could be used as an NO(x) spectrometer.

Croskey, C. L.↗

Some problems with the interpretation of recent microwave background observations in the direction of galaxy clusters, or, beware of negative antenna temperatures

Recently reported observations of the 3-K microwave background in the direction of rich clusters of galaxies should be viewed as placing stringent limits on the mass of cooler ionized gas within the clusters, rather than as a verification of thermal bremsstrahlung models for cluster X-ray sources. At the high radio frequencies employed in the observations, there is a positive contribution to the observed source-brightness distributions from free-free emission by any cooler gas. This can overwhelm the anticipated inverse Compton diminution of the background radiation, even when the total mass in cooler gas is significantly less than the mass of hot plasma required to explain the X-ray source. Future experiments of this type should be conducted only when atmospheric stability is sufficient to permit lengthy drift scans across the clusters. Extreme care must be taken to remove the contributions from any discrete sources.

Tarter, j. C.↗

The ionosphere of Triton

A model of the atmospheric temperature structure and composition inferred from the Voyager (UVS) solar occultations was used together with a one-dimensional chemical diffusive model to interpret the Voyager Radio Science Spectrometer (RSS) ingress measurements of Triton's electron density. Although N2(+) is the major ion created, N(+) produced by dissociative ionization is the dominant ion. Reaction of thermospheric H2, produced by Lyman-alpha dissociation of CH4 in the lower atmosphere, is the major loss for N(+) ions and maintains these ions in PCSS below 600 km. Solar EUV ionization cannot generate electron densities at the magnitude measured by the RSS experiment and an additional ionization source about 3 x 10 to the 8th ions/sq cm per sec is required. The ionosphere may undergo a transition from PCSS to diffusive control if the N(+) ion production rates were greater than the H2 flux derived from CH4. In this case, the upward flowing H2 is totally converted to H by reaction with N(+) and the remaining N(+) ions recombine radiatively to create an ionosphere under diffusive control above the peak.

Majeed, T.↗

Observations of the Ca/+/ twilight airglow from intermediate layers of ionization

Optical and incoherent scatter radar techniques are applied to detect the presence of Ca(+) in lower thermospheric intermediate layers over Arecibo. The Arecibo 430 MHz radar is used to measure electron densities, and the altitude distribution and density of the calcium ion is inferred from the variation of twilight resonant scattering with solar depression angle. Ca(+) and electron column densities are compared, and results indicate that the composition of low-altitude intermediate layers is 2% Ca(+), which is consistent with rocket mass spectrometer measurements. Fe(+) and Mg(+) ultraviolet resonance lines are not detected from the ground due to ozone absorbing all radiation short of 3000 A, and measurements of the neutral iron resonance line at 3860 A show that an atmospheric continuum may result in overestimations of emission rates at high solar depression angles.

Tepley, C. A.↗

Plasma Science in Planetary Entry

Spacecraft entering a planetary atmosphere dissipate a great deal of energy into the surrounding gas. In the frame of reference of the vehicle, the atmospheric gas suddenly decelerates from hypersonic (Mach ~5-50) to subsonic velocities. The kinetic energy of the gas is rapidly converted to thermal and chemical energy, forming a bow shock behind which a plasma with energies on the order of one electron volt (eV) is produced. The resulting shock layer relaxes from strong thermal non-equilibrium that is translationally hot but internally cold and un-ionized toward a thermochemically equilibrated plasma over a distance of a few centimeters. Composition is dependent upon the planetary atmosphere – Air for Earth, CO2/N2 for Mars and Venus, N2/CH4 for Titan and H2/He/CH4 for Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter. Typical velocities of entry may range from 3-7 km/s (4-25 MJ/kg) for Titan/Mars, 8-14 km/s (30-100 MJ/kg) for Earth/Venus, and 25-40 km/s (300-800 MJ/kg) for outer planets. The equilibrium plasmas produced from these conditions are highly dissociated (up to and above 99%) and ionized (0.1- 15%), with temperatures from 7,000-15,000K and pressures from 0.1-1.0 bar. Understanding the behavior of these plasmas – the way in which they approach equilibrium, how they radiate, and how they interact with materials – is an active area of research necessitated by requirements to predict and test the performance of thermal protection systems (TPS) that enable spacecraft to deliver scientific instruments, and people, to foreign worlds and back to Earth. The endeavor is a multi-physics problem, with key processes highlighted in Fig. 1. This white paper describes the current state of the art in simulating shock layer plasmas both computationally and in ground test facilities. Gaps requiring further research and development are identified.

Cruden, Brett A.↗

A formula for calculating theoretical photoelectron fluxes resulting from the He/+/ 304 A solar spectral line

A simplified method for the evaluation of theoretical photoelectron fluxes in the upper atmosphere resulting from the solar radiation at 304 A is presented. The calculation is based on considerations of primary and cascade (secondary) photoelectron production in the two-stream model, where photoelectron transport is described by two electron streams, one moving up and one moving down, and of loss rates due to collisions with neutral gases and thermal electrons. The calculation is illustrated for the case of photoelectrons at an energy of 24.5 eV, and it is noted that the 24.5-eV photoelectron flux may be used to monitor variations in the solar 304 A flux. Theoretical calculations based on various ionization and excitation cross sections of Banks et al. (1974) are shown to be in generally good agreement with AE-E measurements taken between 200 and 235 km, however the use of more recent, larger cross sections leads to photoelectron values a factor of two smaller than observations but in agreement with previous calculations. It is concluded that a final resolution of the photoelectron problem may depend on a reevaluation of the inelastic electron collision cross sections.

Richards, P. G.↗

A new Mars radiation environment model with visualization

A new model for the radiation environment to be found on the planet Mars due to Galactic Cosmic Rays (OCR) has been developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. Solar modulated primary particles rescaled for Mars conditions are transported through the Martian atmosphere, with temporal properties modeled with variable timescales, down to the surface, with altitude and backscattering patterns taken into account. The Martian atmosphere has been modeled by using the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model--version 2001 (Mars-GRAM 2001). The altitude to compute the atmospheric thickness profile has been determined by using a model for the topography based on the data provided by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft. The Mars surface composition has been modeled based on averages over the measurements obtained from orbiting spacecraft and at various landing sites, taking into account the possible volatile inventory (e.g., CO2 ice, H2O ice) along with its time variation throughout the Martian year. Particle transport has been performed with the HZETRN heavy ion code. The Mars Radiation Environment Model has been made available worldwide through the Space Ionizing Radiation Effects and Shielding Tools (SIREST) website, a project of NASA Langley Research Center. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Center LaRC↗

Computation of Cosmic Ray Ionization and Dose at Mars: a Comparison of HZETRN and Planetocosmics for Proton and Alpha Particles

The ability to evaluate the cosmic ray environment at Mars is of interest for future manned exploration. To support exploration, tools must be developed to accurately access the radiation environment in both free space and on planetary surfaces. The primary tool NASA uses to quantify radiation exposure behind shielding materials is the space radiation transport code, HZETRN. In order to build confidence in HZETRN, code benchmarking against Monte Carlo radiation transport codes is often used. This work compares the dose calculations at Mars by HZETRN and the Geant4 application Planetocosmics. The dose at ground and the energy deposited in the atmosphere by galactic cosmic ray protons and alpha particles has been calculated for the Curiosity landing conditions. In addition, this work has considered Solar Energetic Particle events, allowing for the comparison of varying input radiation environments. The results for protons and alpha particles show very good agreement between HZETRN and Planetocosmics.

Gronoff, Guillaume↗

Solar cycle variations in the neutral exosphere inferred from the location of the Venus bow shock

Solar UV and EUV varies significantly during the solar cycle. Pioneer Venus can measure this variation both directly and indirectly. A direct measure of the EUV is obtained from the photoelectron current of the Langmuir probe when the spacecraft is in the solar wind. The indirect measure is by monitoring the location of the Venus bow shock. The UV and EUV both heat the upper atmosphere and ionize it. When solar activity is high, the upper atmosphere should be ionized more rapidly. This effect adds a greater number of planetary ions to the magnetosheath plasma as it flows by Venus. It is this increase in mass flow that causes the Venus bow shock to move away from its solar minimum location. Pioneer Venus has now monitored the location of the bow shock for an entire solar cycle. The bow shock location is well correlated with the variation in EUV flux as measured by the Langmuir probe. The bow shock is farther from Venus than expected from the sunspot number or 10.7 cm solar radio flux, indicating that solar UV radiation may be even stronger at the present time than would be predicted from the relationships determined during the previous solar cycle.

Russell, C. T.↗

Solar flare model atmospheres

Solar flare model atmospheres computed under the assumption of energetic equilibrium in the chromosphere are presented. The models use a static, one-dimensional plane-parallel geometry and are designed within a physically self-consistent coronal loop. Assumed flare heating mechanisms include collisions from a flux of nonthermal electrons and X-ray heating of the chromosphere by the corona. The heating by energetic electrons accounts explicitly for variations of the ionized fraction with depth in the atmosphere. X-ray heating of the chromosphere by the corona incorporates a flare loop geometry by approximating distant portions of the loop with a series of point sources, while treating the loop leg closest to the chromospheric footpoint in the plane-parallel approximation. Coronal flare heating leads to increased heat conduction, chromospheric evaporation and subsequent changes in coronal pressure; these effects are included self-consistently in the models. Cooling in the chromosphere is computed in detail for the important optically thick H I, Ca II and Mg II transitions using the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) prescription in the program MULTI. Hydrogen ionization rates from X-ray photoionization and collisional ionization by nonthermal electrons are included explicitly in the rate equations. The models are computed in the 'impulsive' and 'equilibrium' limits, and in a set of intermediate 'evolving' states. The impulsive atmospheres have the density distribution frozen in the pre-flare configuration, while the equilibrium models assume the entire atmosphere is in hydrostatic and energetic equilibrium. The evolving atmospheres represent intermediate stages where hydrostatic equilibrium has been established in the chromosphere and corona, but the corona is not yet in energetic equilibrium with the flare heating source. Thus, for example, chromospheric evaporation is still in the process of occurring. We have computed the chromospheric radiation that results from a range of coronal heating rates, with particular emphasis on the widely observed diagnostic H(alpha). Our conclusion is that the H(alpha) fluxes and profiles actually observed in flares can only be produced under conditions of a low-pressure corona with strong beam heating. Therefore we suggest that H(alpha) in flares is produced primarily at the footprints of newly heated loops where significant evaporation has not yet occurred. As a single loop evolves in time, no matter how strong the heating rate may become, the H(alpha) flux will diminish as the corona becomes denser and hence more effective at stopping the beam. This prediction leads to several observable consequences regarding the spatial and temporal signatures of the X-ray and H(alpha) radiation during flares.

Hawley, Suzanne L.↗