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Cosmic Rays Could Kill Astronauts Visiting Mars

Posted by timothy on from the tough-break-for-ahnold dept.

jvchamary writes "Given the recent stream of reports of 10th planets and the relative success of the NASA Discovery mission, it might again be time to get excited at the prospect of visiting the Red Planet. Unfortunately, New Scientist reports that Astronauts traveling to Mars would be exposed to so much cosmic radiation that 10% would die of cancer."

5 of 722 comments (clear)

  1. Sign me up by Lehk228 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd be willing to take a 10% risk of cancer later in my life in order to see mars. Hell i'd take a 10% chance of not surviving the trip home.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  2. Oh no! by nathan+s · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Let's never leave our little shielded planet because we might get cancer!

    Seriously, I'm sure that there are thousands of people who would line up, despite that 10% chance of a disease that some of them will get anyway. I would.

    Go to Mars, keep working on cancer cure. Everybody wins.:-)

    --
    picpix image polls. create - share - vote. fun!
  3. Oh crap. by BigZaphod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Space is dangerous?!? Wha??!!! Wow.. We better not go there then! RUN AWAY! Someone might die! *gasp* *shock* Horror!!!!!!1111one!

    I think any first travelers to Mars would have far more impressive ways to die than a 10% chance of radiation damage. The ship could explode, they could run out of food, they could hit any of the various bits of rock out there, they could get abducted by the aliens that live on the other side of the moon, they could slip and fall while getting out the shower cracking their skulls open, etc.

    --
    Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
  4. Re:Risk v. Reward by failure-man · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Exactly. If I'm gonna give myself cancer I'd rather do it by exploring desolate, irradiated worlds than by standing outside in the cold making some rich assholes richer.

    Of course, option three is to do both and feel like you're in Cowboy Bebop. ;)

  5. Re:impractical, to say the least by soft_guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But another thing is that instead of coming up with better shielding, we could just invent a cure for cancer. That would be worthwhile. Then, if 10% of the astronauts got cancer, we could just cure them.

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score