NASA will be forced to find a solution before officially sending humans to Mars.
Space travel comes with many hidden risks. One of the most serious problems is potentially carcinogenic, as astronauts will have to be exposed to radiation from space – which would have disrupted human cells and caused variable mutations in DNA.
These risks, all astronauts must understand and accept. However, the new finding shows that astronauts’ cancer risk is twice as high as the estimated figure.
“Discovering Mars is a mission of at least 900 days, including more than a year” swimming “in space – where radiation exposure is inevitable” – Francis Cucinotta, professor of radiation and space physics at the University of Nevada.
As part of that plan, NASA plans to send humans to Mars by 2030. And the problem is, NASA has to deal with the health risks that astronauts on mission have to bear.
Beyond the Earth’s magnetic field, there is a huge amount of incoming radiation
Cosmic radiation is not only harmful to cancer. It can cause cataracts, circulatory system disorders, acute radiation … Worse yet, Cucinotta – the protective “mantle” around the spacecraft does little to reduce the risk.
But what is this risk? It will depend on the calculated model and the thickness of the spaceship! The new study from the University of Nevada is based on data from several other studies in mice, which show that 8-9% of tumors developed after just 1 year of exposure to cosmic radiation.
However, even cells that are not directly exposed to radiation are infected. The study presents three scenarios based on different thicknesses and shell models. First 12% – 13%, then 16% – 18% and finally 20% – 25%.
Taking a 900-day trip to Mars will increase the crew’s risk of radiation exposure
“Cosmic rays can destroy the cell nucleus, cause mutations and cause cancer” – said Cucinotta. “We have found that damaged cells can send signals to surrounding healthy cells. These signals tend to cause healthy cells to mutate, causing metastasis.”
According to Cucinotta, experts must step up their research into cosmic radiation and its effects on the human body, before removing anyone from Earth’s magnetic field.
Currently, NASA is still carrying out radiation studies thanks to the robot that operates Curiosity on Mars. For example, in 2013, based on data from Curiosity, experts set up a model to estimate the time: 180 days to travel to Mars, 180 days to return to Earth and 500 days on a mission to the surface of the planet.
This scenario could cause astronauts to become infected with 1 unit (sievert) of radioactivity, which is the radiation limit of their entire career on the ISS space station, NASA said. Infection with 1 radioactive sievert, the risk of cancer increased by 5%, while the NASA limit is only 3%.
