SH021-06
Comparing Solar Minimum Conditions at Mars to What We Experience at 1 AU

Wednesday, 9 December 2020: 19:24
Virtual
Christina O Lee1, Janet G Luhmann2, Jasper S Halekas3, Yan Li2 and Erika Palmerio4, (1)Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States, (2)University of California Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States, (3)University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa City, IA, United States, (4)University of California Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, United States
Recorded Presentation
Abstract:
Since September 2014, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft at Mars has been observing the upstream solar wind, interplanetary magnetic field, and fluxes of solar energetic ions and electrons, providing a unique and comprehensive space weather data set for comparisons to our own, local conditions. Such studies improve our understanding of the dynamics and evolution of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs), and shocks from the Sun out to Mars, or comparing SEP events as they evolve with heliocentric distance. Comparative conditions at Earth and Mars are of special interest to those who are planning crewed missions to Mars since the two orbital locations are separated by the interplanetary region where most solar wind stream interaction regions steepen. For example, these compressions alter the propagation of interplanetary ICME-driven shocks that create the space radiation (via SEPs) that are hazardous to humans. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the space weather conditions and events associated with the Solar Cycle 24 minimum conditions observed at Mars during the past two years and compare these observations with those obtained near Earth and at STEREO-A for the same period.
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