The ultraviolet radiation doses (UV) that have been obtained from the surface of Mars are comparable to those that should exist in the primitive earth and the analysis and subsequent results have revealed that these levels could be compatible with some life forms.
An international study, led by the Astrobiology Center (CAB) – of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the National Institute of Aerospace Technique (INTA) – has revealed the doses of ultraviolet radiation that reach the surface of Mars from data collected by the instrument ‘REMS’ ( NASA, which landed in 2012 in the Gale crater, near Ecuador on the planet.
The research results appear today published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and are the result of the analysis of more than five Marcian years (equivalent to more than ten terrestrial years) of data from the different types of ultraviolet radiation on the red planet, including the ‘UV-C’ radiation, the most harmful for living beings.
On Earth, UV-C radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer that protects the planet, but Mars’s atmosphere, despite containing ozone, is about 100 times more dim and therefore does not protect in the same way, reaching the solar radiation practically in its entirety until the surface, the CAB explained in a press release released today.
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A radiation far superior to that of the Earth
The low protection provided by the atmosphere of Mars in the face of ultraviolet radiation is due to the dust that is in suspension, which is particularly relevant in the dust storm station.
The results of this study show drastic and very fast variations in ultraviolet radiation levels, capable of changing doses by more than 30 percent in a few soles (Martian days), has observed the CAB, which has indicated that these variations are complex and unpredictable with current atmospheric models.
Although the dose of ultraviolet radiation in Mars are far superior to those existing in the current land, their levels are comparable to those that are believed to exist in the primitive earth, when life originated and evolved.
Despite its sterilizing power, this study shows that the radiation that the Martian surface reaches “is not absolutely incompatible with life”, and may not be enough to eliminate all the terrestrial microorganisms that travel aboard the space missions.
You have to avoid ‘pollution’ with land life
Therefore, it is essential to continue applying strict planetary protection measures to avoid the pollution of Mars with land life, especially in future manned missions, the Astrobiology Center has warned.
The ‘REMS’ on board the NASA ‘curiosity’ explorer is formed by a set of instruments that records, at the surface level of Mars, air temperature, pressure, relative humidity, soil temperature, wind speed and direction and ultraviolet radiation.
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These measures are closely related to the three main objectives of the mission undertaken by the NASA rose more than ten years ago: verify the biological potential of the area explored by the vehicle, investigate the planetary processes that occur on its surface and that influence its habitability, such as water, and characterize the radiation levels that reach the surface of Mars.
With EFE information
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