Inside bizarre plot for astronauts ‘to hitch a ride on asteroid’ to survive killer space radiation on deadly Mars trip
In order to survive the possibly fatal journey to Mars, astronauts might be able to hitch a ride on an asteroid.
Numerous asteroids that may serve as space taxis, transporting men to the red planet in “fast transfers” throughout the solar system, have now been discovered by astronomers.
With a crewed landing scheduled for as early as 2027, NASA is actively striving to send humans to the moon.
However, the ultimate objective is to attempt sending humans to Mars, which is even more challenging.
Crucially, astronauts could be exposed to lethal radiation during the trip.
According to researchers at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kiev, humanity could be able to exploit asteroids as radiation shields.
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on the paper that was published on arXiv, the researchers stated that “passive shield is promising and currently the only technologically simple solution to the problem of cosmic radiation.”
“Since the budget of the mission will greatly increase if passive shielding made of aluminium or other material is included in the structure of the ship, it is worth seriously considering an alternative approach near-Earth objects.”
The researchers studied more than 35,000 of these “near-Earth objects” and discovered 525 asteroids that may make “fast transfers” between Mars and Venus, Earth and Venus, or Earth and Mars.
Checking whether spaceships could possibly catch up to an asteroid helped to further narrow the list.
Additionally, there are 120 asteroids on this list that are traveling quickly enough to complete journeys in less than 180 days and slowly enough to be caught up to.
University Today disclosed the following list of “hitchhike-able” asteroids:
Weirdest things spotted on Mars revealed
- Earth to Venus: 44
- Earth to Mars: 17
- Mars to Earth: 13
- Mars to Venus: 2
- Venus to Earth: 38
- Venus to Mars: 6
The very critical problem of space radiation may be partially resolved by using these asteroids.
“A human mission to Mars means sending astronauts into interplanetary space for a minimum of a year, even with a very short stay on the Red Planet,” Nasa’s Miles Hatfield noted.
They will be exposed to the harsh radiation environment of space for almost the entirety of that time since they will be beyond the magnetosphere.
“Mars has no global magnetic field to deflect energetic particles, and its atmosphere is much thinner than Earth s, so they ll get only minimal protection even on the surface of Mars.”
For astronauts aboard the ISS, radiation is not a major concern.
The ISS functions inside Earth’s magnetosphere, which offers some protection, and the dosages are monitored.
However, Mars is around 140 million miles away from Earth and requires a lot of unprotected space flight.
Mars facts
What you need know about the Red Planet is as follows…
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
- It is named after the Roman god of war
- The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
- Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
- Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
- It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
- So far, there has been 39 missions to Mars but only 16 of these have been successful
Astronauts are at significant danger of radiation damage as a result.
Miles clarified, “Particle radiation is the main concern in space.”
Because energetic particles can penetrate the skin directly and deposit energy while causing damage to cells or DNA, they can be harmful to people.
“This damage can mean an increased risk for cancer later in life or, at its worst, acute radiation sickness during the mission if the dose of energetic particles is large enough.”
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There is no set date for NASA’s intentions to send humans to Mars.
Although a round-trip journey will take well over a year to accomplish, it is anticipated that NASA will attempt it in the 2030s.
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