The Sun provides the energy necessary for life to exist on Earth, but it also poses significant risks for astronauts. This project used the Musk Observatory at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) to simulate an important protocol for future Martian explorers, namely: the daily monitoring of the solar chromosphere to detect hazardous space weather events. The Martian atmosphere is very thin compared to that of the Earth, so it offers little protection against solar radiation. Therefore, monitoring solar activity is not only an act of scientific curiosity, but of crew survival. During the Hypatia I mission, the main goal of this project was to use the station’s Lunt 1000mm refracting telescope to monitor the temporal evolution of the solar chromosphere. After an initial phase of alignment and calibration, the Hypatia I crew managed to achieve this goal, identifying important magnetic events like sunspots, filaments, and solar granules. This project demonstrated that a Martian crew can effectively maintain independent situational awareness of their local space weather environment without excessive reliance on Earth-based support.
On Earth, a thick atmosphere and strong magnetosphere shield us from solar radiation. Mars, however, lacks a global magnetic field and possesses an atmosphere with less than 1% of Earth’s density. This leaves the surface –and any future crewmembers– exposed to space weather phenomena, including sudden radiation bursts like solar flares or Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Given the communication delay between Earth and Mars, which ranges from 3 to 22 minutes, Martian crews cannot rely exclusively on warnings from Earth-based support; instead, they must be fully independent and capable of monitoring the Sun in real-time.
In this project, our goal was to simulate this operational challenge by integrating daily astronomical observations into the Hypatia I crew’s routine. To this end, we used the Lunt Solar Telescope at the MDRS Musk Observatory. This instrument features a dedicated hydrogen-alpha (H-alpha) filter designed to target the 656.28 nm spectral line. This narrow bandwidth blocks the overwhelming glare of the solar photosphere and allows us to observe the chromosphere, which is the atmospheric layer located just above the surface where important solar events, such as filaments and prominences, occur.
A key finding of this project was the importance of technical maintenance in remote environments. Upon arrival at the MDRS, we realized that the solar telescope required significant repairs before we could start our data collection. In particular, we had to realign the optics and recalibrate the tracking mount to compensate for the drift caused by the Earth’s rotation. This phase allowed us to simulate a realistic scenario for future Martian astronauts: the need to repair and calibrate delicate scientific hardware without immediate support from Earth mission control.
Following the successful re-calibration of the telescope, we visually monitored the solar chromosphere, identifying several dynamic magnetic features. For example, we observed sunspots, which are darker, cooler areas on the stellar surface caused by concentrations of magnetic flux, where flares can often originate. We also captured solar filaments, i.e. large blocks of plasma suspended in the Sun’s magnetic field. These filaments may appear as dark regions against the bright solar disk, and they are massive structures which can extend for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. We also resolved the “grainy” nature of the solar photosphere, obtaining a direct visualization of the convection cells (i.e. plasma rising and falling) that transport heat from the solar interior.
To conclude, the project was a combination of operational autonomy and astronomical observation. By restoring the telescope’s full functionality and ability to track the Sun’s chromospheric activity, the Hypatia I crew demonstrated the viability of space weather monitoring from a Martian analog environment. In the future, similar protocols will ensure that when the Sun becomes particularly active, Martian explorers are the first to know and act accordingly.
