Manned missions to Mars should be launched in a maximum of four years, according to new research. The study limits crewed missions to prevent the impending threat of excessive radiation exposure towards the experts aboard space flights.
In addition, the study specified the approximated times for the astronauts to be exposed less not only from radiation but also from other harmful particles, which are present in space.
Radiation: Threat in Space Missions
NASA's announcement of them going back to the lunar surface and other plans that lead to Maritan exploration will include much time collecting data and observation. Asia's superpower China also announced its plans to reach Mars and estimated a launch a decade from now.
These largescale missions will be conducted at a higher risk than expected due to our knowledge of space's most critical materials toward humans, which are elevated radiation levels.
Radiation incurred from space could impact one's health with severe and long-term illnesses. Such inflictions include skin burns, heart conditions, and even deadly cancer. Due to this corresponding risk in space missions, NASA has since studied the potential measures that could protect the lives of space experts from radiation threats.
The radiation available outside Earth is more harmful than what is presented on the planet's surface since Earth is protected by the magnetic field.
According to VOA, two various radiations could impact humans and equipment negatively. The first is the radiation emitted from the solar rays. The second is the collective energy particles emitted by cosmic rays and have originated from the farthest reach of the galaxy, brought inside our solar system.
The radiation variant emitted from the cosmic rays concerns NASA, as it can inflict both human health and space equipment orbiting and launched outside the depths of space.
Solar Maximum, 4-Year Radiation Exposure Limit
The new research has conducted experiments to define and predict the potential radiation levels that could be harnessed from prolonged radiation exposure during the planned future manned missions.
The model that experts developed included several approaches from geophysical data of particle radiation and the estimated intensity of radiation that can impact astronauts, space equipment, and space vessels.
According to the findings of the study, the best time for people to conduct a launch to Mars would be sometime during a period known as the solar maximum. The specified time on the research is theorized to have the most abundant solar activities.
The solar maximum is considered a part of the sun's magnetic cycle. However, it is a precise time for astronomers to go beyond space due to the intensified solar activities deflecting each energetic foreign particle from entering the solar system's premises.
The study also suggests that future missions on Mars should not exceed a total of four years, as going on space strips longer than the identified time will definitely expose astronauts to the most damaging radiation levels regardless of whether the mission takes place during the solar maximum or not.
The study was published in the journal Space Weather, titled "Beating 1 Sievert: Optimal Radiation Shielding of Astronauts on a Mission to Mars."
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