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Read Full Article (file size: 1164624 bytes) Cited by
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 112,
E10001,
doi:10.1029/2006JE002886,
2007
Solar energetic particles in near-Mars space
J. G. Luhmann
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
C. Zeitlin
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
R. Turner
ANSER, Arlington, Virginia, USA
D. A. Brain
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
G. Delory
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
J. G. Lyon
Physics and Astronomy Department, Dartmouth University, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
W. Boynton
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Abstract
The space radiation environment near Mars has taken on new interest due to the resurrection of plans to send humans to explore
the red planet. In addition, solar energetic particles represent a possibly significant input of energy to the atmosphere
of Mars during major events, with consequences for atmospheric ionization, chemistry, and possibly escape. Measurements of
solar events by the MARIE and GRS experiments on Mars Odyssey illustrate how Mars affects the low-Mars-orbit fluxes of these
particles, apparently blocking some particles' access to the spacecraft. The extent to which the presence of Mars reduces
the fluxes in Mars orbit from their interplanetary values, and the circumstances and geometry of those reductions, is examined
using a simple model and some observationally inspired assumptions about the nature of solar energetic particle events. The
results suggest how Mars orbiter SEP results can be interpreted, and also how near-Mars fluxes for a particular interplanetary
event can be predicted.
Received 21
December
2006;
accepted 9
August
2007;
published 2
October
2007.
Keywords: solar energetic particles;
space weather;
Mars space environment.
Index Terms: 6225 Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects: Mars; 7514 Solar Physics, Astrophysics, and Astronomy: Energetic particles (2114); 7984 Space Weather: Space radiation environment; 7999 Space Weather: General or miscellaneous.
Read Full Article (file size: 1164624 bytes) Cited by
Citation: Luhmann, J. G., C. Zeitlin, R. Turner, D. A. Brain, G. Delory, J. G. Lyon, and W. Boynton
(2007),
Solar energetic particles in near-Mars space,
J. Geophys. Res.,
112,
E10001,
doi:10.1029/2006JE002886.
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
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