Dangerous Radiation Levels Await Any Mars Mission
- 11 years ago
People traveling to and from Mars would be exposed to levels of radiation equivalent to undergoing a CT scan once every five days.
With two different projects, Mars One, and Inspiration Mars trying to send people to our neighboring red planet, taking a trip to Mars might be a possibility in the near future.
According to data from the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover, people traveling to and from Mars would be exposed to levels of radiation equivalent to undergoing a CT scan around once every five days.
The spaceships being developed for a manned mission to Mars are similar to the one that was used by Curiosity.
Astronauts on the space station are exposed to more radiation in six months than a nuclear power worker in the UK is exposed to in a year.
Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado looked at the data on certain types of radiation measured by the RAD when Curiosity was en route to Mars.
They found that the level of radiation and exposure to galactic cosmic rays, along with the projected duration of a mission to and from Mars could mean up to a 5 percent higher risk of developing cancer for astronauts.
Data about radiation levels on the surface of Mars has yet to be factored into exposure levels.
With two different projects, Mars One, and Inspiration Mars trying to send people to our neighboring red planet, taking a trip to Mars might be a possibility in the near future.
According to data from the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover, people traveling to and from Mars would be exposed to levels of radiation equivalent to undergoing a CT scan around once every five days.
The spaceships being developed for a manned mission to Mars are similar to the one that was used by Curiosity.
Astronauts on the space station are exposed to more radiation in six months than a nuclear power worker in the UK is exposed to in a year.
Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado looked at the data on certain types of radiation measured by the RAD when Curiosity was en route to Mars.
They found that the level of radiation and exposure to galactic cosmic rays, along with the projected duration of a mission to and from Mars could mean up to a 5 percent higher risk of developing cancer for astronauts.
Data about radiation levels on the surface of Mars has yet to be factored into exposure levels.