Research News
Astronauts are exposed to large amounts of cosmic radiation. Source: NASA, Photo: Hooter (Robert L. Gibson)
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Protection for People on Mars
The NASA plans to send people to Mars within the next 20 years. Because cosmic radiation causes cancer, the astronauts will have to protect themselves during their long sojourn in space. Upon commission by the European Space Agency ESA, the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH investigates whether rock from the Moon or Mars could be used for creating protective shields for ground stations.
On Earth, the atmosphere and the magnetic field absorb most of the cosmic radiation that is the result of stars exploding. Yet on the Moon and on Mars it hits the ground almost unimpeded. Due to weight and cost issues, it is not possible to transport high-tech material from Earth into outer space. Therefore, ground stations on the Moon or on Mars would have to be built mostly using local material. "Rovers, having analysed samples, have provided us with information as regards the composition of the sand and stone on site", says Dr Chiara La Tessa, who is manager of experiments within the GSI biophysics division. "
With this information, it is possible to recreate Moon and Mars regolith on Earth and we test these as regards their properties." The cosmic radiation required for these experiments is created using the GSI particle accelerator, which is one of the few facilities able to reproduce a composition of ions similar to that of cosmic radiation.
