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According to data collected by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a one-year return trip to Mars could give you more than half of the maximum radiation dose recommended for the entire career of one. astronaut.
The spacecraft, weighing more than 4,000 kilograms (8,801 lb), was launched in 2016 by the European Space Agency and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos to study gases on Mars.
During its six-month journey through the solar system to the red planet, the Liulin-MO dosimeter of its fine-resolution epithermal neutron detector (FREND) was used to measure the radiation bombarding the craft. The numbers gathered during this trip formed the basis for the following ESA conclusion:
It could be that the dosimeter hits a rough patch of space. The agency noted that radiation levels were high during the probe's interplanetary ride, although the alternative resists dangerous solar flares:
Keep this in mind if you plan to visit Mars.
"The radiation doses accumulated by astronauts in the interplanetary space would be several hundred times higher than the doses accumulated by humans over the same period and several times higher than the doses of astronauts and cosmonauts working on the international space station, "Jordanka said. Semkova, scientific head of the ExoMars Liulin-MO instrument, Wednesday.
According to a paper [PDF] In Europe, the annual limit of ESA for ionizing radiation is 0.5 sievert (Sv) for bone marrow, spleen and lymphatic tissue, 1 Sv for eyes and 3 Sv for skin. NASA estimates that the limit of exposure to radiation in low Earth orbit is 0.5 Sv per year. To put this in perspective, the maximum dose for people working with or around radioactive material is 0.05 Sv per year.
In addition, the ESA flying over Mars and going back more than a year could give you 60% or more. The process of selecting astronauts is rigorous and they can not be too young or too old. The average age of selection is apparently 34 years old and the average length of a career is 14.8 years.
Radiation damages the DNA. Collisions between energetic particles – mainly protons – and living tissue can kill cells or cause mutations, leading to an increased risk of developing cancer. But that's not all: do not forget that this also translates into cognitive deterioration and a bad back.
As space agencies take small steps to prepare for a real human expedition to Mars, they are all investing in radiation protection. Some organizations even went so far as to consider filling the walls of a spaceship with the astronauts' trash as a protective measure.
The research collected from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is being presented this week at the European Congress of Planetary Science in Berlin, Germany. ®
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