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Toxic dust on Mars New research indicates that there is a future task for the Red Planet very dangerous for astronauts and requires large counter measures.
Materials such as silica, Roma, Berlores and Nanwear Iron Akside contained in Mars Dust can have life -threatening effects on the possible Mars mission members, according to a study published in the magazine Geohealth last month.
“The greatest danger is the danger to the lungs of astronauts. Since dust is very good, it is expected that it will remain in the lungs of astronauts and some of them will be absorbed into the bloodstream,” the author of the study said in CNN in CNN.
“Space pioneers are already at risk of pulmonary fibrosis due to radiation in light of space, and can cause many risks including silica and iron oxides a pulmonary disease that can accumulate.”
The view of Jezero Crater on Mars
Wang also highlighted the concerns that the barlixes – chemical compounds that were discovered at toxic levels in Mars soil – can cause a thyroid defect and anecdotes – a condition in which the body stops the production of sufficient blood cells.
Looking at the length of time it takes to return to Earth from Mars, as well as a delay in communicating with our home planet, the key is to avoid exposure to dust by filtering dust, cleaning the cabin and using electrostatic repulsion devices, according to the study.
However, Wang is optimistic that toxic dust does not make Mars mission impossible.
He said: “Although dust on Mars will not be the most dangerous part of the task to the Red Planet, it is certain that it is a danger that can be harmful to astronauts, but it can be easily avoided since we are properly prepared.”
The co -author of the study highlighted Brian Heinic, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Bulder, the broadest effects of Mars dust.
He told CNN: “It constantly falls from the sky and covers everything. Every few years there are spherical storms that put a thick coat,” which confirms that space vehicles, vehicles, solar panels and other equipment “will need constant attention to maintain work.”
“Rarvarsa has already witnessed this with the loss of scientific or entire task tools due to the solar panels that have become very dust to direct the charging of the batteries,” said Heinic.
“These secondary considerations will also have a major impact on humans.”
Julia Cartrait, an independent research colleague at the Lester University Space Institute, who did not participate in the study, told CNN that dust mitigating is a major problem to explore space.
She said: “As the authors have highlighted – dust happens everywhere, and he behaves slightly different from dust on the ground. Here, most dust and molecules pass through their transport trips and tend to be completely round when you look under the microscope while gradually eroding it over time.”
“By comparison, on the surface of the moon and Mars, you are dealing with very sharp pointed molecules that did not have the same activity. This is a problem if in the air breathing – the sharp particles are likely to irritate the soft membranes, the place where you can face problems with your lungs.”
Cartrait said that the process can be likened to exposure to asbestos, a fibrous metal that was used in building materials until research found that it caused health conditions including lung cancer, medium epithelium and heart disease.
It also shed light on the surrounding problems using filters to clean the air from “unpleasant elements and compounds” such as chrome, arsenic and cadmium.
“I assume that you are able to liquidate it, you still have to have a strategy to change all the filters that you should breathe and you will need a load of these filters on the spacecraft,” Cartraret said.
Jonathan Eastwood, professor of space physics at Imperial College London, agreed that advanced solutions are needed to overcome the risks offered by Mars dust.
He told CNN: “The distance from Earth to Mars means that the rapid evacuation to the ground has been excluded, so it is necessary that you have a complete medical capacity on the surface.”
As the authors indicate, the solution to this is a multidisciplinary problem where medical, engineering and scientific specializations must be converged to find a solution. “
Natalia Zavina James, Director of Higher Exploration Research at the UK Space Agency, told CNN that the study shows the extensive considerations necessary to protect the health of astronauts. “
“It is great to start seeing studies, like this, treating the side of human health to explore Mars,” she said.
“This is a decisive aspect of the goal of the horizon, with huge moral effects that must be considered in -depth before the tasks that have been created are launched.”
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