American Geophysical Union Become an AGU Member
Subscribe to AGU Journals		 AGU Home AGU Publications

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.