One study reveals that the trip to Mars could "significantly damage the stomach of astronauts" and cause cancer

Astronauts may want to cancel their travel plans if they plan a trip to Mars as soon as possible. An excursion to the red planet could have serious health effects – and researchers are asking NASA not to participate in major space missions before learning more.

According to a NASA-funded study by the Georgetown University Cancer Research Center (GUMC), radiation from space travel could "significantly damage" gastrointestinal tissue and cause damage important to the stomach and colon, even leading to the development of cancerous tumors.

In the study, recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of Americathe effects of heavy ions – an atom or a charged molecule – were tested on mice. They performed tests on three groups of rodents: those exposed to a low dose of iron radiation, those exposed to gamma rays (similar to X-rays) and another group left alone, or the control group.

Scientists have discovered damage to the intestinal cells of the group surrounding the iron radiation, a risk for astronauts to stay in space for an extended period. The mice in this group "have not sufficiently absorbed the nutrients and … they have formed cancerous polyps," the study revealed.

"Heavy ions such as iron and silicon cause damage because of their higher mass than massless photons such as X-rays and gamma rays (g) scattered on Earth, as well as low-mass protons in The space, "Kamal Datta, senior research investigator and project leader of NASA's specialized research center at GUMC, said in an online statement.

Currently, there is no effective way to protect astronauts from heavy ion radiation, Datta said.

LOCKER LONGER LANDER OF LENGTH MARTIN WILL ALLOW ASTRONAUTS TO STAY ON THE LUNAR SURFACE FOR 2 WEEKS

"Even though short trips, like those that astronauts have made on the moon, are not likely to expose them to this level of damage, the real concern is the lasting injury of a long journey, such as Mars or D & B. Other missions in the deep space that would be much longer, "he explained.