Experts In The News
Everyone is well aware that sending humans to Mars means overcoming a number of major problems, one of which is the cancer risk for the astronauts. But it seems that even NASA's best risk projections were way off the mark. The latest research suggests the cancer risk is actually double what we thought.
'Exploring Mars will require missions of 900 days or longer and includes more than one year in deep space where exposures to all energies of galactic cosmic ray heavy ions are unavoidable,' UNLV scientist Francis Cucinotta, a leading scholar on radiation and space physics, explained.
Astronauts hoping to take part in a crewed mission to Mars might want to pack some additional rad tablets! Long before NASA announced their proposal for a “Journey to Mars“, which envisions putting boots on the Red Planet by the 2030s, mission planners have been aware that one of the greatest risks for such a mission has to do with the threat posed by cosmic and solar radiation.
The cancer risk for a human mission to Mars may be double what was previously expected, says a new study that is partly based on studying tumors in mice. Astronauts are exposed to radiation from galactic cosmic rays when they travel outside the protective shield of Earth’s magnetic field. These cosmic rays — which originate from the shockwaves of star explosions, or supernovas — can disrupt the bonds inside human cells, leading to DNA damage and mutation.
According to the proposal approved by the Nevada Board of Regents in early March, the priorities at a new think tank sponsored by MGM in partnership with UNLV, cochaired by Harry Reid and John Boehner, no less, could include “sustainability, workforce development, technology and innovation, and security and resilience.”
Scientists estimate that the risk of cancer doubles for long-term missions outside Earth’s magnetic field.
Elon Musk has famously declared that he wants to die on Mars. He might hit his goal sooner than hoped for. A new study predicts a "dramatic increase" in the chance of getting diagnosed with cancer after a trip the Red Planet. Essentially double the odds.
The cancer risk for a human mission to Mars has effectively doubled following a UNLV study predicting a dramatic increase in the disease for astronauts traveling to the red planet or on long-term missions outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field.