One of the big problems with going beyond low Earth orbit (LEO for those who like acryonyms) is that you are no longer inside Earth's magnetic field. This exposes you to all kinds of nasty cosmic rays that can damage cells in your body. A short hop for a few days on the Moon is not too bad, but if we want to establish a base and have people spend months there or even go to Mars, well, that can be a showstopper.NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are both hard at work studying the problem. Enter Fred and Matroshka. They are mannequins desinged to help us understand how radiation effects the human body. Each of them has hundreds of embedded sensors to measure the radiation dose at different locations in the body. Not all radiation damage is equal: you might survive a little more in your biceps than in your brain of lungs. Modeling where the radiation is deposited can only go so far and testing on implanting a bunch of radiation sensors in a person isn't exactly a viable solution.
Current shielding technology couldn't protect us...we would need too much and the spacecraft would be too heavy. On the Moon building underground (say into the side of a mountain or hill) could be a potential solution although excavating would increase the complexity of the construction.
We can solve most of the technical problems to spend a long time on the Moon and could even get to Mars in a reasonable amount of time...staying healthy in space is one of the biggest hurdles that remain (save for money and polticial will).Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.
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9 comments:
Just looking at the picture, I thought it was a ruse to fly in the carpool lane...
A dummy to fly in the carpool lane to Mars...that sounds like a Douglas Adams gag!
Aluminum foil and duct tape should solve the problem. Where's my government grant/reward/stimulus money?
Why not build on the dark side of the moon? Wouldn't the entire moon then be interposed? No that wouldn't work. Need light for solar panels.
Well, huck, there is no "dark side of the Moon" in spite of what Pink Floyd says. The Moon rotates on its axis so every side gets light...days last about two weeks followed by two week long nights. The Moon always keeps the same side facing the Earth, so "Far side of the Moon" is more appropriate.
Cosmic rays come from all directions, so no matter where you are on the Moon, you have to deal with them.
There was a voice over in the Pink Floyd song that stated, "there really is no dark side of the moon. As a matter of fact, it's all dark.."
Mr. Bopp, would you perchance be hailing us from Iowa this evening?
Who you gonna believe, hale-bopp or Pink Floyd?
Yep, college reunion in Iowa. I'll be here until Sunday afternoon.
I gotta admit, when I first read, "nasty cosmic rays", I had to giggle, like something out of a comic book.......
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