Estimates of extreme solar particle event radiation exposures on Mars

Abstract

in the second half of the 19 th century (1864, 1878, 1894, 1895, and 1896). The incident proton energy distributions for these solar particle events are assumed to be similar to that of the November 1960 event, one of the most energetic of the modern space era. The crewmembers are assumed to be located at the mean surface elevation on Mars, at the lowest elevation on Mars in the Hellas Impact Basin, and on the summit of Olympus Mons, the highest surface elevation on Mars. The crewmembers are assumed to be shielded by the overlying carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, and locally shielded by a space suit, a surface landing spacecraft, or a surface habitat. These estimates are compared with current NASA Permissible Exposure Limits.