Measurements of Energetic Particle Radiation in Transit to Mars on the Mars Science Laboratory

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 340; no. 6136; pp. 1080 - 1084
• Main Authors: Zeitlin, C., Hassler, D. M., Cucinotta, F. A., Ehresmann, B., Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F., Brinza, D. E., Kang, S., Weigle, G., Böttcher, S., Böhm, E., Burmeister, S., Guo, J., Köhler, J., Martin, C., Posner, A., Rafkin, S., Reitz, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 31.05.2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: aerospace technology; Atoms & subatomic particles; Conglomerates; Cosmic Radiation; Cruises; Dosimetry; Earth system science; Energy transfer; Humans; Ions; Laboratories; Mars; Measurement techniques; Personality Traits; Pions; Protons; Radiation; Radiation Dosage; Radiation hazards; Radiation measurement; radiation physics; Rocks; sand; Science education; Science Laboratories; Scintillation counters; Silicon; Space Flight; Spacecraft
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1235989

The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, containing the Curiosity rover, was launched to Mars on 26 November 2011, and for most of the 253-day, 560-million-kilometer cruise to Mars, the Radiation Assessment Detector made detailed measurements of the energetic particle radiation environment inside the spacecraft. These data provide insights into the radiation hazards that would be associated with a human mission to Mars. We report measurements of the radiation dose, dose equivalent, and linear energy transfer spectra. The dose equivalent for even the shortest round-trip with current propulsion systems and comparable shielding is found to be 0.66 ± 0.12 sievert.