Currently, humanity has almost everything it needs to complete the longest space mission in history - a flight to Mars. In space, you can get energy from the Sun, extract water, replenish oxygen reserves using artificial photosynthesis, and even grow plants. The main problem for the future first colonists at the moment is cosmic radiation. And humanity just needs to figure out how to protect the crew of the spacecraft from its effects.
According to the latest data, a flight to the red planet precisely because of cosmic radiation will reduce the life span of astronauts by at least 2.5 years. This was reported by scientists in the framework of the conference "Aerospace and Environmental Medicine" held in Moscow. As part of the study of the impact of space radiation on living organisms, experts found out that a space flight lasting 2 years has disastrous consequences for human health.
The data was obtained based on the performance of a standard spacecraft with a simple spherical shape and a standardized human body model phantom inside it. The calculations also took into account the rapid launch of the spacecraft into Mars orbit using a liquid-propellant jet engine and a nuclear power propulsion system.
Vladimir Kuznetsov