Post by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

How is the Perseverance rover helping keep the Artemis II crew safe? As they journey outside Earth’s protective magnetic field on their way to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II crew will be subject to potentially dangerous particles from solar flares. Artemis mission planners will keep a close eye on solar activity before and during the flight, and now they have a vantage point that Apollo missions didn’t — Mars. The Perseverance rover is watching sunspot activity from the surface of the Red Planet, which is currently on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth. Having this additional eye on the Sun could mean up to 2 weeks’ advance notice of solar storm activity. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4rvmclj