High Radiation, Low Gravitation: The Perils of a Trip to Mars

Sunscreen and calcium supplements aren't enough to protect Mars-bound space travelers from radiation and a lack of gravity in outer space. View in browser

Image credits: Aaron Chen  High Radiation, Low Gravitation: The Perils of a Trip to Mars Sunscreen and calcium supplements aren't enough to protect Mars-bound space travelers from radiation and a lack of gravity in outer space. Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer July 23, 2021                                                                                                                                                                  (Inside Science) -- Back in May, SpaceX launched its Starship SN15 prototype to about the cruising altitude of a commercial airliner before landing it safely. The company claims future versions of the rocket will be able to take 100 passengers at a time to the moon, and even Mars.   But while it's one thing to send a rocket to Mars, it's another to send people there alive. And it's yet another thing to make sure the people can be as healthy as they were when they left Earth. Besides packing enough fuel and air and water and food for the seven-month-long journey to Mars (and more for a return trip if you want a return ticket), there are other luxuries we enjoy here on Earth that the spaceship will have to provide if we want to stay healthy during the long flight... Read more Copyright 2021 American Institute of Physics. Inside Science syndicates its articles, columns, blogs and videos to news organizations. To initiate syndication, or request permission to republish our content (on a one-time or continuing basis), please contact Inside Science at insidescience@aip.org. News organizations seeking permission to republish Inside Science content must fully credit Inside Science as the original source of the content, include the author byline, and republish the original, unaltered form (excluding content titles, headlines, or sub-headlines). The reprint format can be seen here. Copyright conditions and usage terms are subject to change at any time without consent or any type of prior notice. To unsubscribe from all future mailings from Inside Science please click here. To manage your email subscriptions please click here.

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