Posted on 05/31/2013 2:06:30 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Nasa's Curiosity rover has confirmed what everyone has long suspected - that astronauts on a Mars mission would get a big dose of damaging radiation.
The robot counted the number of high-energy space particles striking it on its eight-month journey to the planet.
Based on this data, scientists say a human travelling to and from Mars could well be exposed to a radiation dose that breached current safety limits.
This calculation does not even include time spent on the planet's surface.
When the time devoted to exploring the world is taken into account, the dose rises further still.
This would increase the chances of developing a fatal cancer beyond what is presently deemed acceptable for a career astronaut.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Nothing we didn’t already know. The real issue is time in transit. Exposure on the surface isn’t much greater than what is experienced on the ISS but this would be for a longer time.
Faster propulsion is obviously needed and I still wonder if the foam used in the Bigelow inflatable craft can be infused with powdered lead for shielding.
What? Nuclear waste dump leaked? Greedy power plant owners scrimped on maintenance?
Not that 3 boobs is necessarily a bad thing.
” I still wonder if the foam used in the Bigelow inflatable craft can be infused with powdered lead for shielding.”
No, that would not work.
Faster propulsion is obviously needed and I still wonder if the foam used in the Bigelow inflatable craft can be infused with powdered lead for shielding.
Doesn’t need to be lead... Justa few layers of this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demron
Also the inflatables walls can have two sets of “bladders” in them, one for fresh water and one for recyckled/waste water, and use the water to act a radiation shield/ temprature stabilizer....
Sign me up!
Ah, it’s not that bad. Don’t forget to wear a hat, and wear one that fastens to the head, covers the neck, etc. It’s windy sometimes.
Send Sheila Jakson Lee. She can check the flag, and her brain is too small to be hit by radiation.
Problem solved.
Just use the New limits for radiation exposure put out by the Japanese government after the nuclear power incident and everything will be just fine.
The robot counted the number of high-energy space particles striking it on its eight-month journey to the planet... a human travelling to and from Mars could well be exposed to a radiation dose that breached current safety limits... does not even include time spent on the planet's surface.An extra ping to APoD members. [#60]
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