Among them is the MetNet project, which aims to install observation stations on the Martian surface and measure solar radiation, which is an essential factor to take into account when colonizing the red planet . To do this, MetNet will have a model capable of calculating this radiation designed by an international team of scientists in which the Complutense University of Madrid participates.
To put human beings on Mars you have to overcome several obstacles. One of the most important is the powerful solar radiation that falls on the red planet, since there the ozone concentration is very low and it cannot absorb the rays as it does on Earth, where ozone serves as protection. To solve this problem, an international group of scientists, including some from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), have created a model capable of calculating the fluxes of ultraviolet radiation that reach the surface of Mars in different regions of the solar spectrum. .
The research is part of the MetNet ( Meteorogical Network ) mission, which aims to install observation stations on the red planet to study its atmosphere. The scientific instruments include a sensor, MetSIS, to calculate solar radiation on the planet’s surface in various bands , up to 1,100 nanometers.
According to Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo, researcher at the Department of Earth Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics II of the UCM and co-author of the study, published in the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, this model will serve to increase the scientific return of future missions and their The results can greatly help the preparation for the human exploration of Mars.
Its action allows to simulate the radiation that falls on the surface of Mars in different regions of the solar spectrum under different scenarios, defined by the composition of the atmosphere, latitude and time of day and year. Simulations are very useful in different phases of the mission , for example, before launch.
The research, in which the UCM Institute of Interdisciplinary Mathematics and the University of Michigan (USA) also participate, shows results for regions in the latitude band between 30º South and 30º North , where the landing sites initially selected are located. for the MetNet mission.
Regarding atmospheric conditions, research has focused on different concentrations of dust particles, ranging from total absence to maximum opacity measured by the Opportunity mission in its first five years of measurements. Dust particles have a great impact on the processes of dispersion and absorption of solar radiation in the Martian atmosphere, which influences that, on Mars, the hue of the sky is yellowish and reddish during the day and bluish with the sunset , just the other way around than on Earth.
