Radiation Would Bombard Astronauts on Mars Trek and Pierce Through Modern Spacecraft, Claims NASA Study

One of the many perils astronauts face is radiation. A combination of solar energetic particles and galactic cosmic rays bombard space-faring craft persistently, and a recent study published in the journal Science indicates that this danger presents a number of obstacles for research based on the Red Planet: Mars.

In order to gauge how much radiation permeates Mars' atmosphere, NASA equipped the Curiosity rover with a device known as a Radiation Assessment Detector, otherwise called RAD. Space.com reports that the rover was unevenly shielded and does not entirely represent the structure of a practical manned vehicle. That being said, the radiation from both the trek to the Mars and the research on the desolate planet itself may very well surpass the organization's current thresholds.

"It is clear that the exposure from cruise phases alone is a large fraction of (and in some cases greater than) currently accepted astronaut career limits," explains study lead Cary Zeitlin and her team in the publication. The researchers maintain that their current estimations do not clearly spell out the exact health complications related to such a mission.

Zeitlin adds, "There is some concern that there could be damage to cognitive ability that would manifest itself in the short run," thereby compromising potent exhibitions on the planet's surface.

"[Mars'] atmosphere provides a level of shielding, and so charged-particle radiation is less when the atmosphere is thicker. Overall, Mars' atmosphere reduces the radiation dose compared to what we saw during the flight to Mars," says the Southwest Research Institute's Donald Hassler in a statement. "Understanding the space radiation environment is the single most important challenge to preparing for future human exploration of Mars. We need to understand the radiation input at the Martian surface so we can design shelters, habitats and spacesuits with sufficient shielding to protect astronauts."

As NASA continues to probe the galaxy's exoplanets, and private corporations begin to offer spacecraft exhibitions, radiation will become an increasingly relevant topic. Only time will tell what protective measures researchers will cook up.