Every Mars year (which lasted 686.98 Earth Days), the Red Planet experiences regional dust storms that match the summer in the southern hemisphere. Every three years of age (five and a half years of half earth), these storms become so large that they include the entire planet and are visible from the earth. These storms are a serious danger to robot missions, which leads to electrostatic storms that mix up with electronics and build on solar collectors. In 2018 and 2022 the opportunity Rover and Insight Lander lost after dust storms prevented them from drawing enough strength to stay in operation.
But what about occupation missions? In the coming decades, NASA and the Chinese manned space agency (CMS), astronauts and taikonauts are planning to send to Mars. These missions include months of surface surgery and are expected to culminate in the creation of habitats of long -term food on the surface. According to the new examinations of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), Mars dust can cause breath problems and an increased risk of illness, which causes them to prepare for another health hazard driver to prepare the disease company.
Research was led by Justin L. Wang, a doctor of medicine in USC, together with several of his colleagues from the Keck School of Medicine. Researchers from the UCLA Space Medicine Center, the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the HJ SMEAD department for atmosphere and space physics at the UC Boulder as well as the astrom material Acquisition and Curation Office in the Johnson Space Center of NASA joined them. The paper in which its results were described appeared on February 12th in the magazine GeoHealth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sfpjotzln4
Sending missions with crew to Mars poses many challenges, including logistics and health risks. In the past 20 years, the shortest distance between earth and Mars was 55 million km (34 million miles) or about 142 -times the distance between the earth and the moon. This was in 2003 and was the next that the two planets were over 50,000 years. With conventional methods, it would take six to nine months for a one-way transit to be carried out. During this time, physiological changes will occur in astronauts caused by long -term exposure to microgravity.
This includes muscle atrophy, loss of bone density, a weakened cardiovascular system, etc. In addition, a return mission could take up to three years. During this time, Astronauts would live and work in Marsgravitation for at least a year (36.5% that of the earth). There is also the risk of increased radiation exposure that astronauts will experience during the transits and during operation on the surface of Mars. However, there is also the potential health effects caused by exposure to Mars regolites. As described today by e -mail to universe:
“There are many potential poisonous elements that astronauts could be exposed to on Mars. In addition to basalt and nanophase iron, there are most critical, both of which react to the lungs and cause respiratory diseases. What makes dust on Mars more dangerous is that the average dust particle size on the Mars is much smaller than the minimum size that the mucus can lay out in our lungs so that they cause diseases more often. “
During the Apollo -era, the Apollo astronauts reported, such as mondregolith hold on their spaces and would be liable to all surfaces in their spaceship. When they return to earth, they also reported on physical symptoms such as coughing, neck stimuli, aqueous eyes and blurred seeing. In a NASA study from 2005, the reports of six of the Apollo astronauts were examined in order to evaluate the overall effects of moon dust on EVA systems, which came to the conclusion that the most important health risks “vision” and “inhalation and Review ”.
The representation of a dust tower on Mars. Credit: NASA
“Silica causes silicosis directly, which is typically regarded as an occupational disease for workers, which are exposed to silicon dioxide (mining and construction),” said Wang. “The silicosis and exposure to toxic iron dust are similar to the pneumoconiosis of the coal worker, which is common in coalemine workers and is colloquially known as a black lung disease.”
The Mars dust is not only lung, respiratory problems and visual problems. These include perchlorates, silica, iron oxides (rust), plaster and traces of toxic metals such as chrome, beryllium, arsenic and cadmium – their frequency is not well understood. On Earth, the health effects of exposure to these metals were examined in detail, whereupon Wang and his team assess for astronauts in the coming decades in order to assess the risk of astronauts:
“It is much more difficult to treat astronauts on Mars for diseases, since the transit time is significantly longer than other previous missions to the ISS and the moon. In this case, we have to be prepared for a variety of health problems that can develop astronauts during their long -term missions. Additionally, [microgravity and radiation] Negatively influence the human body, astronauts can make more susceptible to diseases and complicate treatments. In particular, radiation exposure can cause lung diseases that exacerbate the effects that dust on the lungs of the astronauts. “
In addition to food, water and oxygen gas, the distance between earth and Mars also makes it difficult to submit crucial medical care, and astronauts cannot be returned to earth for life -saving treatments. According to Wang and his colleagues, this means that occupation missions must be as self -sufficient as possible in terms of medical treatment. As with all major health risks, they first emphasize the need for prevention, although they also identify some possible countermeasures to reduce the risks:
“Limiting the dust contamination of astronaut life spaces and the possibility of filtering out every dust is the most important countermeasure. Of course, a dust can get through, especially if the dust storms make it difficult to maintain a clean environment. We have found studies that indicate that vitamin C can help prevent diseases through chrome exposure, and iodine can help to be thyroid diseases. “
Austin Langton, a researcher at the Kennedy Space Center of NASA in Florida, creates a fine spray by the Regolith-Simulan BP-1. Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett
They also emphasized that these and other potential countermeasures had to be taken with caution. As Wang indicates, taking too much vitamin C can increase the risk of kidney stones, for the astronauts are already at risk in the microgravity after expenditure of extended periods. In addition, an excess of idion can contribute to the same thyroid diseases that it should treat at all. Space agencies have been actively developing technologies and strategies for reducing the risks of Mond and Mars Regolith for years.
Examples are special sprays, electron rays and protective coatings, while several studies and experiments examine Regolith to learn more about its transport mechanisms and his behavior. If the Artemis program develops and approach MARS, we will probably see progress in pharmacology and medical treatments that are also dealing with the dangers of space research.
Further reading: GeoHealth
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