When you’re planning a trip somewhere, it’s helpful to rely on a weather prediction.
When humans go to Mars, it will be similar. And you’d certainly want to know if a global dust storm was expected and would be heading your way.
In the next few months, the red planet might have a planet-wide dust storm. This is expected if the upcoming storm follows a pattern based on previous storms.
What do we know about dust storms already?
We know there are localized storms which sometimes become regional, often happening during the southern spring and summer. Seldom will regional storms create dust that covers Mars with a haze. In 1971, one of these storms became global. When the first spacecraft arrived at Mars to orbit the planet, this global storm was ongoing.
For the images shown below, both were taken in 2001 from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor.
Mars dust storm, Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
When exactly will Mars have global storms? It’s difficult to tell.
The last global dust storm affected two NASA rovers on Mars, Spirit and Opportunity. This is noteworthy, as the two were on different parts of the planet and both had less access to solar power during the storm. During this time, unique actions had to be taken to ensure the survival of the rovers.
Human missions to Mars could be affected by dust storms as well in terms of their health, electronics and accessible solar power.
The 5 most recent storms that have sent dust circling all over the planet have occurred from 1977-2007.
Can the orbital motion of the red planet somehow affect when the global dust storms will occur? A 2015 paper said it had found a pattern. When the momentum of the red planet gets higher in the initial part of storm season, global dust storms have occurred historically.
Currently being forecast by the paper and looked for in planetary observations – whether or not a global dust storm will occur.
Learning valuable information about the weather pattern on Mars is important to current and future missions. No doubt when humans travel to Mars, weather will play an important role in their living and working environment.
Learn more about how NASA is exploring Mars: http://mars.nasa.gov/