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A big problem for manned space flight beyond low Earth orbit is radiation. Earth and to some extent low-Earth orbiting space craft are protected from the intense radiation from the sun and cosmic sources by its magnetic field.
The problem to solve for long lunar missions or missions to Mars is one of shielding. On the Moon the astronauts can burrow under the lunar soil or set up shop in lava tubes. Mars has no magnetic field and anyway the trip there will take a long time exposing astronauts to radiation over a long period of time. I’m not an expert, but that doesn’t sound like a good thing.
While in transit NASA has to find a way to shield the crew from radiation. Some investigators suggest using water, which they have to carry anyway. But water is heavy. Other lines of research are looking at the possibility of creating a magnetic field around the spacecraft that will function much like the Earth’s.
In the early days of spaceflight astronauts reported seeing flashes of light, even with their eyes closed. That’s the hint. Particles of cosmic radiation were smashing into their retinal pigments causing a flash of light. I thought I'd heard somewhere that a high percentage of astronauts suffer from a form of cataract appearing several years after their flights.
Has anybody else heard of this phenomenon?
The problem to solve for long lunar missions or missions to Mars is one of shielding. On the Moon the astronauts can burrow under the lunar soil or set up shop in lava tubes. Mars has no magnetic field and anyway the trip there will take a long time exposing astronauts to radiation over a long period of time. I’m not an expert, but that doesn’t sound like a good thing.
While in transit NASA has to find a way to shield the crew from radiation. Some investigators suggest using water, which they have to carry anyway. But water is heavy. Other lines of research are looking at the possibility of creating a magnetic field around the spacecraft that will function much like the Earth’s.
In the early days of spaceflight astronauts reported seeing flashes of light, even with their eyes closed. That’s the hint. Particles of cosmic radiation were smashing into their retinal pigments causing a flash of light. I thought I'd heard somewhere that a high percentage of astronauts suffer from a form of cataract appearing several years after their flights.
Has anybody else heard of this phenomenon?
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