Science
Related: About this forumHouston, We Have Another Problem—Study Shows that Space Travel is Harmful to the Brain
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=3713[font size=4]Study Shows that Space Travel is Harmful to the Brain[/font]
December 31, 2012
[font size=3]As if space travel was not already filled with enough dangers, a new study out today in the journal PLOS ONE shows that cosmic radiation which would bombard astronauts on deep space missions to places like Mars could accelerate the onset of Alzheimers disease.
Galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts, said M. Kerry OBanion, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and the senior author of the study. The possibility that radiation exposure in space may give rise to health problems such as cancer has long been recognized. However, this study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimers disease.
While space is full of radiation, the earths magnetic field generally protects the planet and people in low earth orbit from these particles. However, once astronauts leave orbit, they are exposed to constant shower of various radioactive particles. With appropriate warning, astronauts can be shielded from dangerous radiation associated with solar flares. But there are also other forms of cosmic radiation that, for all intents and purposes, cannot be effectively blocked.
Since that time, several studies have demonstrated the potential cancer, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal impact of galactic cosmic radiation. The study out today for the first time examines the potential impact of space radiation on neurodegeneration, in particular, the biological processes in the brain that contribute to the development of Alzheimers disease. OBanion whose research focuses on how radiation affects the central nervous system and his team have been working with NASA for over eight years.
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ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)that is why the most advanced mars ships have tanks of water surrounding the living areas.
OKIsItJustMe
(19,933 posts)What is news is this particular risk.
thelordofhell
(4,569 posts)Where it only turned you into an orange rock creature, or made your body super stretchy and pliable, or set your body completely on fire, or even made you invisible..........memories
Speck Tater
(10,618 posts)Now my dream is to keep Earth liveable.
Looks like neither of my dreams is going to come true.
IDoMath
(404 posts)Metal skull caps!
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)IDoMath
(404 posts)Will have to be lead-foil. Although the rich and fashion-conscious can use gold and platinum foil. Not as a safe but definitely more stylish.
Phoonzang
(2,899 posts)There's a lot of research out there on artificial magnetic fields. Also...just go faster. VASMIR could get a ship to mars in a little over a month instead of 6.
stone space
(6,498 posts)LongTomH
(8,636 posts)Three meters of lunar regolith or 'slag' from space manufacturing:
cstanleytech
(26,026 posts)If we are lucky maybe they will panic and try to get off the planet.