Enabling NASA's Moon To Mars Initiative Through Technology Advancement: The NASA Heliophysics Strategic Technology Office (HESTO)

NASA’s bold initiative to return humans to the surface of the Moon and onward to Mars requires advancements to Space Weather forecasting to enable crew and hardware protection from the unpredictable space weather effects. NASA’s Heliophysics Division (HPD) is a leader in Space Weather science advancements to improve forecasting, and transition into operation. The Heliophysics Technology Program invests in technologies to fill the most urgent technological gaps to advance Space Weather forecasting. Through an open and competitive solicitation process, the HPD Technology program provide grants to universities, corporations, NASA Centers, and other institutions to explore new instrument designs and technologies. Many of the instruments invested in by the HPD Technology Program are relevant to supporting NASA’s return to the Moon, travel to Mars and deep space through their ability to characterize the potential hazards posed by solar activity. Space weather is critically important to understand for lunar and Mars missions due to its potentially severe impacts on both crew safety and mission success. Unlike Earth, which is protected by a robust magnetic field and thick atmosphere, the Moon has virtually no magnetic field and no atmosphere, while Mars has only a thin atmosphere and weak magnetic field. This leaves astronauts and spacecraft highly vulnerable to solar particle events (SPEs) which can deliver dangerous radiation doses that increase cancer risk, cause acute radiation sickness during intense solar storms, and lead to long-term health effects. Space weather events can also damage critical spacecraft electronics and communication systems, disrupt navigation and guidance systems, and degrade solar panel efficiency. During a multi-month journey to Mars, astronauts are particularly exposed as they travel through interplanetary space without any protective shielding from planetary magnetospheres. Understanding and predicting space weather allows mission planners to design appropriate radiation shielding, develop early warning systems for solar storms, schedule extravehicular activities (EVAs) during periods of lower radiation risk, and establish safe haven protocols where crews can retreat to more heavily shielded areas during major solar events. For sustainable lunar bases and Mars settlements, accurate space weather forecasting becomes as essential as terrestrial weather forecasting is on Earth. This presentation will inform the community on how HPD Technology Program supports innovative heliophysics technology development that are relevant to supporting space exploration and science on planetary bodies.