Mars mission is the primary goal for all space agencies around the world. NASA plans to send humans to Mars in next 10 to 20 years, but the major problem that could create a problem in the mission is intense radiations on the Red Planet. NASA is trying to develop a technology that could prevent the astronauts from the deadly radiations on Mars, according to Inquisitr.
What are NASA's plans?
Pat Troutman, Human Exploration Strategic Analysis lead at NASA, said, "Some people think that radiation will keep NASA from sending people to Mars, but that’s not the current situation." He further stated that they would add various mitigation techniques to the mission which would protect the astronauts from serious health issues on Mars.
He also promised that the astronauts would live a productive life on Earth after their comeback from Mars, the Tribune reported.
The amount of radiation which would be present on Mars is unclear. NASA said that radiation in space is more harmful and intense than on Earth. The agency wrote that the astronauts are exposed to 10 times more intense radiations in the international space station than Earth.
Instead of radiations, there are several other factors which pose threats to astronauts' health outside the magnetic field of Earth, such as solar particle events (SPEs), Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs), and the Van Allen Belts, which contains the highly energetic charged particles.
NASA's protective methods to save astronauts
NASA said that it would create additional shielding materials that would be used when they took shelter to protect themselves from SPEs.
But, protection from galactic cosmic rays is quite challenging because there are the highly energetic particles which could even penetrate through metals.
The US space agency is trying to develop a technique which would be able to protect astronauts' lives from GCRs. The agency is also working to modify the spacesuits and spacecraft for extra shielding. Inquisitr wrote that the radiations on the Red Planet are very dangerous for the crew members of the Mars mission. NASA would face financial issues in creating all the reliable systems to protect people during space travel.
Scientists are trying to protect the astronauts by modifying their genetics, which would be more effective than shielding. Recently, NASA has announced to alter the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) of the astronauts to protect them from skin cancer due to radiations on Mars.