Mars doesn't have a magnetic field to block solar radiation, but it's also a bit further away. I've read there's a place in Iran more radioactive than most parts of Mars and that the people there don't have any known health issues from it. I've also heard that a few feet of dirt on top of a Mars habitat would bring the radiation inside to Earth normal. If you can do that, then you only get exposure when you go into the greenhouses or go outside.
That having been said, I think the first batch of humans to go to Mars will experience a lot of deaths. With any complex problem you have to solve it twice because the first attempt just helps you understand what you're up against. I wonder if anyone considered building a test colony in one of the ice-free bits of Antarctica. It's warmer than Mars and a lot easier to send supplies or rescue if needed. -Adam ________________________________ From: AF on behalf of Bill Prince Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2025 12:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SCE to AUX Apollo 11. The first landing had to be the most sphincter-tightening mission ever. Apollo 13. Whoo boy. Those guys were lucky or something. Until we figure out how to protect people from radiation, missions to Mars and beyond just seem too unrealistic. That and the distance problem. We still have not found any dilithium crystals. bp <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> On 5/11/2025 9:31 AM, Adam Moffett wrote: I think we had a lot of big ideas about building colonies and exploring strange new worlds, but the scope of the problems and the technological realities of dealing with them have sobered us a bit. ________________________________ From: AF on behalf of Jason McKemie Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2025 11:29 AM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SCE to AUX I wish the public still cared about space exploration, so many good things came out of that program. On Fri, May 9, 2025, 11:40 AM <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: https://youtu.be/Ub14XPsF4P8?si=Dlu2wySVL8rkRG20 [cid:[email protected]] This story always chokes me up. -- AF mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
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