Initial studies indicate that it does not bode well.
NASA aspires to send a manned flight to Mars during the next twenty years, but a study indicated that it will be more dangerous than we expect, new data showed that exposure to cosmic radiation for long periods may greatly affect seriously the cognitive and cognitive abilities of astronauts.
University of California researchers in Irvine, USA simulated the conditions of deep space on a group of mice in the laboratory by exposing them to explosions of accelerated particles, which are similar to cosmic waves. The results indicated that the radiation-exposed mice were disorganized and frequently forgotten, in addition to the fact that their response and reaction so slow.
"It is not good news for the pioneers who were allegedly sent to Mars on a two-way trip for two to three years," says Charles Limoli, a radiotherapy professor at a press conference, and adds: "a decrease in performance, a deficit in memory, loss of consciousness and focus during the trip All of this may affect the mission's primary tasks, as well as the fact that long-term exposure to these particles may have severe consequences for lifelong perception.
Cosmic rays, a product of galactic eruptions like a supernova, are highly charged particles that can easily penetrate the shuttle’s structure and human bones and cause massive damage to the central nervous system of the body.
On our planet, the magnetosphere guarantees the protection of the Earth's surface from this dangerous radiation, but the thin atmosphere of Mars cannot protect its surface in that quality, just as the Earth's magnetosphere extends to about 56,000 km above our heads, meaning that it also protects the astronauts from the cosmic radiation.
In a study, published on Science Avances conducted at NASA's Space Radiation Laboratory by the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, a group of genetically engineered mice suffered burns due to a bundle of oxygen ions and titan accelerated at two-thirds of the speed of light, the same type of ions found in cosmic rays. Hungarian.
These mice were genetically modified to possess radioactive neurons, making it easier to monitor changes in the level of their brains.
Six weeks after exposure, mice lost from 30 to 40 percent of their dendrites - the branches between the neurons responsible for transmitting electrical signals - compared to the reference group.
Exposure to cosmic radiation leads to permanent deterioration of neuronal ramifications, this deficiency is associated with mental disorders such as in those who suffer from Alzheimer's or similar neurological diseases.
Cognitive and cognitive tests were then performed on both groups, and new bodies were added among those familiar to mice. It was observed that those exposed to radiation were disorganized and lost their curiosity compared to the reference group.
If astronauts do the same, their response speed and their ability to retrieve information will be affected.
During the alleged trip to Mars that will last from two to three years, any effect of exposure to cosmic radiation will find the time to appear, the ability of the astronauts to complete the task and do research experiments in addition to their health of their knowledge, all of this will be in danger, Limoli and his team do not think that That level of turmoil will lead astronauts to destroy their shuttle, but at least sabotage their experiences.
The brain is a complex organ and long-term studies are required before we understand the full effect of cosmic rays on it, and we can separate by saying whether these disorders and changes observed in mice are chronic or not.
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