We all know how spectacular space missions are. There have been both manned and unmanned, such as the launching of satellites that can be seen from Earth. There are many missions that have been done throughout history and it is to admire the attitude of the people who decide to get on those ships and expose themselves to possible risks. That is why NASA is developing systems to try to predict space radiation for future space exploration missions.
The priority is to protect the health of the astronauts. They wanted to know if it is possible to detect the damage that radiation can cause to astronauts. In addition, they also wanted to check if there were differences depending on sex, age and other factors.
The danger of radiation exposure
Space radiation is born from three things: particles trapped in our planet’s magnetic field, particles shot into space during solar flares, and galactic cosmic rays. The latter occur outside the Solar System.
Exposure to radiation can cause very serious diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, on our planet we are protected from it thanks to both the Earth’s magnetic field and the atmosphere.
NASA is doing research on potential medical countermeasures, such as the use of pharmaceuticals or early disease detection technology, to help mitigate the consequences of radiation exposure from space.
However, for missions beyond the orbit of our planet , the same level of protection against armor cannot be provided or the exposure time of the mission can be limited.
That is why NASA is looking for ways to prepare astronauts so they can safely do longer missions.
As people age, their chromosomes change. This can occur naturally or through exposure to the environment . Chromosomes have basic components of our DNA and modifying them can be very harmful to health.
A study was done to check the effects of radiation
The International Space Station conducted a study with 43 astronauts to see if radiation had affected them before and after a mission. To do this, a blood sample was taken before the mission and their blood cells were checked to assess their official chromosomal status and see how it might change in the future.
After taking this, the samples were intentionally exposed to gamma rays on Earth to measure how easily their cells accumulated chromosome changes.
Therefore, once the astronauts returned from finishing their mission in space, a new blood sample was taken from them in order to check if there were alterations in the chromosomes.
The samples from before and after the mission began to be compared and several things were discovered.
People with more inherent sensitivity were more likely to have chromosome changes than those with low sensitivity. On the other hand, the people who had more changes in the chromosomes with the tests that were done before the flight were the most susceptible to undergo modifications in them.
In addition, they also believe that if missions to space are to be carried out, it is better for older people to do them since young people are more susceptible to long-term diseases from radiation exposure than older people, although both have sensitivity to radiation. radiation. This is because young people have a longer time to live and may live long enough to develop cancer or another disease.
Therefore, it is important to develop a technology that allows knowing the radiation levels when doing a space mission, since this is vital for the health of astronauts.
