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Space

Mars astronauts would get unsafe radiation doses even with shielding

Simulations show that a 1000-day mission to Mars would expose astronauts to radiation doses above 1 sievert, even with metal shielding

By Alex Wilkins

12 August 2022

Illustration of Mars being bombarded with solar radiation

Unlike Earth, Mars has no global magnetic field to deflect radiation from the sun

Science History Images / Alamy

A crewed mission to Mars would expose astronauts to radiation levels higher than the safe limits set by space agencies, even with metal shielding, simulations have revealed.

There have been real-world and simulated studies of radiation doses in space, but these tend to be either time-limited or restricted in scope, such as only accounting for specific organs or focusing on men only.

“Many calculations took a very simplistic approach, but we have done it in a …

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