Last week, an international team of scientists published a study in which they stated that a mission to Mars with humans could not last longer than four years. This is due to cosmic radiation that will affect human health.
However, researchers are looking for a solution to this problem and perhaps they have found one viable option. A new study using data from Martian Science Laboratory Curiosity has shown how the natural landscape of the Red Planet can provide shelter from radiation for humans.
When the Curiosity rover landed on the surface of Mars in 2012, it carried a device called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) in its payload. This instrument measures harmful radiation on Mars from the Sun and other sources. He can also assess the danger that radiation poses to any microbial life that may exist on Mars.
A toaster-sized RAD sits on top of the Curiosity. One of the areas studied by the rover using RAD is the Murray Butts region. This area is located at the bottom of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater. The rover studied the geology of this sandstone and found out that there is a decrease in surface radiation.
However, the background radiation was lower than the rest of the surface of Mars studied by the rover, by only five percent, but this is important information that may help future missions to the Red Planet.
Radiation that affects objects or people on the surface of Mars comes from space. And most of the radiation that hits a person or equipment comes directly from the sky. But part of this impact is albedo radiation, that is, it is reflected from the surface and hits objects from below.
The dose of radiation on the surface of Mars is constantly fluctuating. It could be affected by heliospheric changes, as well as the angle of view of the sky that researchers might be exposed to. A steeper angle means that the radiation must pass through more of the atmosphere, which changes the effect on the surface.
Researchers believe that astronauts on Mars will be able to use terrain features to protect against radiation - including lava tubes protected by meters of Martian regolith. Although it will not be possible to fully defend against it, any decrease in its level will benefit the mission.
As noted in the article of scientists, detailed radiation maps, taking into account the effects of the sky, terrain and everything else, can save lives.