A calculation of the radiation environment on the martian surface

Publication date: Available online 26 July 2017 Source:Life Sciences in Space Research Author(s): Wouter C. de Wet, Lawrence W. Townsend In this work, the radiation environment on the Martian surface, as produced by galactic cosmic radiation incident on the atmosphere, is modeled using the Monte Carlo radiation transport code, High Energy Transport Code – Human Exploration and Development in Space (HETC-HEDS). This work is performed in participation of the 2016 Mars Space Radiation Modeling Workshop held in Boulder, CO, and is part of a larger collaborative effort to study the radiation environment on the surface of Mars. Calculated fluxes for neutrons, protons, deuterons, tritons, helions, alpha particles, and heavier ions up to Fe are compared with measurements taken by Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory over a period of two months. The degree of agreement between measured and calculated surface flux values over the limited energy range of the measurements is found to vary significantly depending on the particle species or group. However, in many cases the fluxes predicted by HETC-HEDS fall well within the experimental uncertainty. The calculated results for alpha particles and the heavy ion groups Z = 3-5, Z = 6-8, Z = 9-13 and Z > 24 are in the best agreement, each with an average relative difference from measured data of less than 40%. Predictions for neutrons, protons, deuterons, tritons, Helium-3, ...
Source: Life Sciences in Space Research - Category: Biology Source Type: research