Written by Amira Shehata
Saturday, February 11, 2023 04:00 AM
The US space agency “NASA” will return humans to the surface of the moon in 2025, but its manned missions to the Red Planet will not take place until 2030, and in the meantime, billionaire businessman Elon Musk believes that he can beat NASA by sending manned flights to Mars in half. The second of this decade, but the problem is that conditions on Mars can seriously damage multiple parts of the body, accelerating disease and death, even with a space suit on.
According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, these problems include cancer-causing radiation, muscle thinning and weak bones, which is why being on Mars is so risky.
radiation
Mars has a thin atmosphere, about 0.6% of Earth’s, which means it is constantly exposed to intense galactic cosmic radiation and solar protons.
Any human being on its surface would be exposed to this intense rate of harmful radiation, and run the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, brain damage and “cognitive decline”.
NASA estimates that during a six-month trip to Mars, astronauts will be exposed to 300 millisieverts of radiation, the equivalent of 24 CAT scans, before they reach the planet.
Perhaps the areas of the body most susceptible to cancer from cell mutations would be the eyes, lungs and intestines, as well as the breasts and uterus for women.
And a 2020 study found that astronauts would be exposed to radiation 2.6 times higher than they would be exposed aboard the International Space Station, increasing their risk of cancer and infertility.
Other studies have shown that radiation also damages the brain by impairing learning and memory capabilities, and can leave astronauts confused and unable to make decisions.
Cosmic rays, such as iron and titanium atoms, severely damage the cells they pass through due to their very high ionization rates.
Microgravity is a serious problem for astronauts during long-term spaceflight, as it reduces bone density, increases the risk of bone fractures, and deteriorates muscle performance.
The lack of gravity in space means that muscles hardly need to be worked and that astronauts have a vigorous exercise routine to prevent them from losing large amounts of muscle mass.
Also on Earth, every time a person sits or stands, gravity pulls blood into their legs, and the heart works to keep blood flowing as it resists Earth’s gravity which helps it maintain its size and function.
Removing the effects of gravity leads to a decrease in the functioning of the heart, and its steadily shrinking, according to a 2021 study. Microgravity is also thought to increase fluid pressure inside the head, potentially in the back of the eyes, which can damage vision.
Mars dust
Mars’ rocky surface is covered in ancient volcanoes, canyons and debris, with regular meteor impacts posing a constant danger to any future human colonists, and anyone who visits will spend all of their time in an enclosed indoor habitat, or inside a spacesuit breathing recycled air if outside.
But even in doing so, they would run the risk of entering pervasive Martian dust and polluting their airways. Moreover, perchlorates, a type of chemical compound, are known to exceed toxic levels in Martian dust and soil.
Carl K. said: “Perchlorate is thought to have toxic effects in high doses by interfering with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland,” says Winter, a toxicology researcher at the University of California, Davis, in California.
This inhibition of iodine uptake can lead to a decrease in the secretion of thyroid hormones responsible for controlling growth, development, and metabolism.
Malnutrition
Another problem is the potential shortage of food and the resulting malnutrition. An abundance of carbon dioxide (CO2) might be ideal for plant growth, if there were no shortages of sunlight, water and radiation.
Although the diet on Mars would not meet the body’s needs, there are promising signs that humans could at least eat enough to survive.