Mars mission to affect space travellers' life span: Research
New Delhi : While astronauts are excited for the upcoming Mars Mission, there is a threat too. A research claims that the round trip will expose space travellers to dangerously high levels of solar radiation that is estimated to shorten their lifespan by two years and a half.
The study on how solar energetic particles might affect cosmonauts on a mission to Mars will be unveiled at the conference on space biology and aerospace medicine to be held in Moscow.
"Assessments have been made of the impact that radiation, received during a long flight to Mars of up to three years during peak solar activity and with varying density of aluminium protection, might have on a cosmonaut's total lifespan," the report read.
The research concluded that a standard human organism travelling to the Mars orbit at a high velocity inside a simple spherical spacecraft "on a two-year expedition to Mars and back (will be exposed to) a combined radiation risk during their lifetime, regardless of age, behind a radiation shield of 20 grams per square centimetre, estimated at 7.5 per cent, with an average lifespan reduction of 2.5 years."
In order to mitigate the dangerous effect of solar radiation, astronauts are advised to use sleeping bags with water insulation and mineral water consumption.
"(Among the measures) up for consideration is the use of sleeping bags that have water gel or polyethylene powder as insulator. Water and plastic have light elements in them, such as hydrogen, which protect against primary and secondary neutrons," the research read.
Researchers further mention that the supply of drinking water needs to have a certain mineral composition as solutions containing silver ions, for instance, can amplify the pathogenic effect of ionizing radiation. Consumption of preservatives should be avoided for the same reason.
Earlier in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Mars Mission was one of the country's goals, alongside lunar and deep space exploration. Last year, Russian scientists began psychological experiments to see how people from different countries can fare in simulated isolation.
