Dr. Conca reports that the movie 'The Martian' is one of the best space science fiction movies ever made. And it is making a lot of money. Much of the great science done on Mars by NASA space missions over the last decade reformed the depiction of the Red Planet in the movie. The technical details are exquisite.
NASA exploration of Mars has been so detailed and extensive it would take years to review it all, the now known to be ubiquitous presence of water in ice on Mars, the occasional transient appearance of liquid water, the amazing meteorite impact features, the bizarre Martian soil or regolith, extensive volcanic terrain and sedimentary deposits, even weird, little concretionary rock with blueberries. But what makes this a science fiction movie instead of a colonization plan is the antagonist - the wind.
These two risks far outweigh all other risks, including the often discussed, but lesser risks of -
- the effects of zero gravity during the voyage, and low gravity on small planets like Mars, that exacerbates a variety of adverse health effects such as bone loss, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, but can be ameliorated by certain exercises and vertical treadmills, and
- exposure to cosmic radiation during an extended time in space and on planets with poor van Allen belts and thin atmospheres like Mars, that may elevate the risk of cancer slightly, like moving to the high Rocky Mountains, but has not actually been demonstrated. Average doses to astronauts average about 5.4 rem per yr (0.054 Sv per yr), similar to the dose limits for Earth nuclear and radiation workers, and will be about this level even in deep space.
But one risk Dr. Conca suggests you will never be subjected to on Mars is an ill wind.
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Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-