Scientists are getting our robotic explorers ready to help send humans to Mars
Robotic Explorers Take Center Stage in Human Spaceflight
As the moon and Mars take center stage in human spaceflight, scientists are leveraging existing space missions to lay the groundwork for a sustained human presence off-planet. From pinpointing water resources on the moon to shielding crews from harmful radiation and managing abrasive dust, researchers are using new results from in-service missions to address practical challenges of exploration.
Radiation Risks on Mars
One of the significant challenges facing astronauts on Mars is radiation exposure. The Martian surface offers little protection from cosmic rays and solar flares, which can cause damage to both the human body and electronic equipment. To mitigate this risk, scientists are developing decision-support tools that can help astronauts assess radiation risks in near real-time.
Gina DiBraccio, a heliophysicist and acting director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, discussed a decision-support tool initially designed to track space weather near Earth that has been extended to incorporate data from Mars missions. The dashboard integrates data from multiple Mars missions, including NASA's MAVEN orbiter, Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, with additional data sources planned.
"It's really one of the first steps of tools that astronauts will be able to use to understand and assess space weather from the surface of Mars," DiBraccio said.
Radiation Levels on Mars
Shannon Curry, MAVEN's principal investigator at UC Boulder, highlighted a newly completed catalog of Martian space weather events compiled from the now-silent orbiter data spanning a full solar cycle from 2014 through 2025. The catalog allows scientists to quantify radiation levels in orbit and on the surface during periods of both low and high solar activity.
"This really informs, over a full solar cycle, what we can expect to see, and when we can expect to see it," Curry said.
Pinpointing Water Resources on the Moon
Scientists also stressed the importance of pinpointing water resources on the moon, particularly near the lunar south pole, where NASA plans to land astronauts under its Artemis program. The four astronauts chosen for the Artemis 2 mission to the moon are preparing for a historic journey to the lunar surface.
Bethany Ehlmann, the director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, told reporters during a briefing that the challenge right now is that the datasets don't actually agree exactly where the water is.
"We know broadly it's in the south pole, we know broadly there are few craters of interest," she said. "But it's like saying, 'There is water in the city of New Orleans – somewhere.'"
A new imaging spectrometer NASA selected in July could help address that uncertainty, she said. The instrument, which could be used in moon orbit, is designed to act as "enhanced eyes" for astronauts and scientists by mapping water and minerals, and identifying science-packed sites for collecting samples.
Managing Lunar Dust
Another focus of the briefing was lunar dust, a persistent challenge during the Apollo era. Fine, abrasive particles damaged spacesuits and equipment, and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt famously suffered the first recorded case of extraterrestrial hay fever after exposure to moon dust.
"I think dust is probably one of our greatest inhibitors to a nominal operation on the moon," Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said during a post-mission debrief. "I think we can overcome other physiological or physical or mechanical problems except dust."
Scientists are now tackling that challenge through new instruments and missions. One of them, DUSTER – short for Dust and Plasma Environment Surveyor – has been selected for NASA's Artemis IV mission. Led by Xu Wang of the University of Colorado Boulder, the $24.8 million project will deploy a suite of instruments on a rover to record dust and plasma conditions near the lunar surface and assess how they respond to human activity.
Miniaturizing Magnetometers
Work is also underway to understand whether Mars' localized magnetic fields could provide astronomers limited natural protection from radiation. Initial modeling based on orbital observations suggests crustal magnetic fields locked into Martian rocks could offer shielding over distances of a few miles.
To map those regions in greater detail, teams are working to further miniaturize magnetometers that could be mounted on aerial vehicles, such as small drones similar to NASA's now-retired Ingenuity helicopter, enabling surface surveys at much finer resolution than is possible from orbit, according to Jared Espley, a space scientist at NASA Goddard who is involved with the research.
Conclusion
Together, the work underscores how robotic missions are critically shaping the future of human exploration, scientists said. "It's really not a question of robotic exploration or human exploration," Ehlmann said. "It is an 'and' – it's robotic and human exploration and how we do these best together."
As the moon and Mars take center stage in human spaceflight, scientists are leveraging existing space missions to lay the groundwork for a sustained human presence off-planet. From pinpointing water resources on the moon to shielding crews from harmful radiation and managing abrasive dust, researchers are using new results from in-service missions to address practical challenges of exploration.
