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Slow down
Elon Musk once said that he would probably have moved to Mars during his lifetime. But before settling the red planet, the European Space Agency (ESA) calls for extreme caution.
This is because it lacks the natural barriers that protect earthlings against cosmic radiation, which would expose astronauts to deadly health conditions. But they work there. ESA has announced that it has partnered with particle accelerators to recreate cosmic radiation in a controlled environment and build shields that can protect future explorers.
Difficult conditions
Astronauts at the International Space Station are 200 times more exposed to cosmic radiation than men on Earth, according to ExtremeTech. On Mars, this number rises to 700 – scientists have even suggested that Martian settlers can quickly mutate to adapt.
"The real problem is the great uncertainty surrounding the risks," ESA physicist Marco Durante said in a press release. "We do not understand spatial radiation very well and the long-term effects are unknown."
Shields Up
ESA found that a six-month stay on Mars would expose astronauts to "60% of the total recommended radiation dose limit for their entire career".
According to the press release, current experiments suggest that lithium is a promising material for future spacecraft and shields against radiation, but they have not reached the point where space travel becomes safe .
"In the current state of things, we can not go to Mars because of radiation," said Durante. "It would be impossible to respect the acceptable dose limits."
READ MORE: Radiation makes human missions on Mars too dangerous: ESA[[[[ExtremeTech]
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