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High levels of radiation on Mars could expose the first astronauts on the red planet to at least 60% of the recommended radiation dose limit.
Here on Earth, the magnetic field and the atmosphere of the planet protect man from the deadly cosmic rays and atoms that accelerate into space.
Mars, however, does not have a clean magnetic field since it collapsed for reasons unknown billions of years ago.
This could expose astronauts and Martian colonizers to radiation sickness, increased risk of developing cancer, degenerative diseases, and central nervous system problems.
Jordanka Semkova of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who heads a team of scientists working on a Liulin-MO orbital dosimeter on Mars, said the future of all Mars missions depended on the ability of space agencies to tackle that.
She said, "One of the basic factors in planning and designing a long-duration crewed mission on Mars is the consideration of radiation risk.
"The radiation doses accumulated by astronauts in the interplanetary space would be several hundred times greater than the doses accumulated by humans over the same period on Earth and several times higher than the doses of astronauts and astronauts. cosmonauts working on the international space station.
"Our results show that the trip itself would offer a very important exposure to radiation for astronauts.
READ MORE: NASA News: What is this "foreign object" photographed by the Mars Curiosity rover of NASA?
The results were presented this week at the 2018 European Planetary Science Congress in partnership with the European Space Agency.
According to the results, a 12-month round trip to Mars and back would expose astronauts to about 60% of the radiation dose recommended for their entire career.
In space, millions of atoms and particles of the Sun and the outside of the solar system pass through space at a speed close to that of light.
When exposed to unprotected human bodies, the particles violently tear the DNA, causing all kinds of genetic problems.
Damaged DNA molecules can trigger the growth of cancer cells, impair vision and cause heart disease.
READ MORE: SpaceX launch date: when does Elon Musk send his BFR rocket to Mars?
In the space of one week on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts are exposed to the equivalent of a year of radiation on Earth.
According to ESA, astronauts who have been in space since the 1960s have reported flashes of light even when they close their eyes.
These flashes are thought to be cosmic rays that pass through the eye and provoke a response in the retina.
NASA said: "Reducing uncertainties in risk assessment is necessary before we can undertake a mission to Mars and has led to a number of investigations into carcinogenesis and degenerative diseases.
"The great uncertainties in the risk projection models will be reduced only by improving the basic understanding of the underlying biological processes and their disturbance by spatial radiation.
"It is unlikely that the radiation hazard problem for space exploration will be solved by a simple countermeasure, such as the radio protection drug addicts."
Protecting astronauts against the dangers of space radiation involves an "effective vehicle design" to minimize spacecraft exposure, protection and regular monitoring.
But the US space agency has acknowledged that the exact effects of non-terrestrial radiation are still poorly understood.
NASA's lead scientists at the NASA Spatial Radiation Laboratory at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Proton Treatment Center at Loma Linda University are carefully studying the threat of space radiation.
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