A model for Mars radiation environment characterization

Author

Keating, A. ; Mohammadzadeh, A. ; Nieminen, P. ; Maia, D. ; Coutinho, S. ; Evans, H. ; Pimenta, M. ; Huot, J.-P. ; Daly, E.

Author_Institution

Lab. de Instrumentacao e Fisica Exp. de Particulas, Lisbon, Portugal

Volume

52

Issue

6

fYear

2005

Firstpage

2287

Lastpage

2293

Abstract

A modeling framework for the prediction of the Martian radiation environment is presented. Features include input solar cycle modulated cosmic ray and solar particle event spectra, based both on CREME-96, the transport of this radiation in the Martian atmosphere and regolith, including creation of secondaries, using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. Details of the atmosphere are derived from the European Mars Climate Database with a dense topological grid and layering of the atmosphere. Seasonal and diurnal variations are considered. Surface topology is derived from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and geology is modeled. The outputs are full particle transport histories, maps of radiation fluxes, and doses. The model will be applied to future European Mars missions.

Keywords

Mars; cosmic ray interactions; planetary atmospheres; planetary surfaces; CREME-96; European Mars Climate Database; Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit; MOLA; Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter; Martian atmosphere; Martian radiation environment; areology; cosmic rays; diurnal variation; radiation flux map; regolith; seasonal variation; solar cycle; solar particle event spectra; surface topology; Atmosphere; Atmospheric modeling; Geology; Laser modes; Mars; Monte Carlo methods; Predictive models; Spatial databases; Surface emitting lasers; Topology; Geant4; Mars; planetary atmosphere; radiation environment; radiation mapping;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9499

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TNS.2005.860748

Filename

1589197