The problems of flying to Mars
Astronauts will have to worry about space radiation—and also each other
SENDING PEOPLE to Mars is a daunting prospect. It would take astronauts at least nine months to get there, they might spend a year on the planet itself, and they would then spend another nine months on the journey home. During that time they would be exposed both to high radiation levels and to the increasingly irritating tics and habits of their fellow crew. It is hard to say which of these would be more likely to result in someone’s death.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Voyages to strange new worlds”
From the February 23rd 2019 edition
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