Health threat from cosmic radiation during a manned mission to Mars

TL;DR

This paper assesses the radiation risks for astronauts on a Mars mission by analyzing data from space radiation detectors, providing crucial insights into safety measures for future manned exploration.

Contribution

It combines data from multiple space radiation detectors to evaluate radiation hazards for Mars missions, offering a comprehensive risk assessment.

Findings

Radiation doses during Mars transit are significant for crew safety.

Data from RAD and MARIE enable accurate modeling of space radiation environment.

The study informs safety protocols for future manned Mars exploration.

Abstract

Cosmic radiation is a critical factor for astronauts' safety in the context of evaluating the prospect of future space exploration. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on board the Curiosity Rover launched by the Mars Scientific Laboratory mission collected valuable data to model the energetic particle radiation environment inside a spacecraft during travel from Earth to Mars, and is currently doing the same on the surface of Mars itself. The Martian Radiation Experiment (MARIE) on board the Mars Odyssey satellite provides estimates of the absorbed radiation dose in the Martian orbit, which are predicted to be similar to the radiation dose on Mars' surface. In combination, these data provide a reliable assessment of the radiation hazards for a manned mission to Mars. Using data from RAD and MARIE we reexamine the risks for a crew on a manned flight to Mars and discuss recent developments in space exploration.