Radiation exposure on Mars missions could exceed safe limits
Posted: Fri, May 31, 2013, 2:14 PM ET (1814 GMT)
Exposure to cosmic radiation on missions to Mars could exceed NASA's current limits for astronauts, scientists reported this week. Researchers used data collected by an instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) during its voyage from Earth to Mars last year to examiner the radiation environment astronauts would be exposed to on missions to the Red Planet. The data indicated the radiation was dominated by galactic cosmic rays, highly energetic particles that cannot be easily blocked by shielding. The MSL data indicated that the radiation exposure on a crewed Mars mission would likely exceed NASA's current exposure limits, which limit exposures to levels that would increase the risk of cancer by three percent. Decreasing the travel time is considered the best way to deal with the radiation exposure concern, a solution that would require advanced propulsion technology.
Exposure to cosmic radiation on missions to Mars could exceed NASA's current limits for astronauts, scientists reported this week. Researchers used data collected by an instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) during its voyage from Earth to Mars last year to examiner the radiation environment astronauts would be exposed to on missions to the Red Planet. The data indicated the radiation was dominated by galactic cosmic rays, highly energetic particles that cannot be easily blocked by shielding. The MSL data indicated that the radiation exposure on a crewed Mars mission would likely exceed NASA's current exposure limits, which limit exposures to levels that would increase the risk of cancer by three percent. Decreasing the travel time is considered the best way to deal with the radiation exposure concern, a solution that would require advanced propulsion technology.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Apex becomes billion-dollar company with $200 million Series D round
Posted: Sun, Sep 14 4:09 AM ET (0809 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, September 15
Elon Musk's Starlink reports service outage, thousands of users affected
Reuters — 1:23 am ET (0523 GMT) What does the loss of U.S. Space Command mean to Colorado Springs?
Denver Post — 1:21 am ET (0521 GMT) SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman Cargo Ship To ISS
Aviation Week — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Sunday
WESH-TV Orlando — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) Apollo 13 made Jim Lovell a legend generations after the space race
The Hill — 1:09 am ET (0509 GMT) |
