An international team of scientists from Greece and the United States has identified certain materials, including some types of plastic, rubber and synthetic fibers, as well as Martian soil (regolith). The research was published in the scientific journal broadcasting European Physical Journal Plus (TEPJP).
Because Mars lacks a thick atmosphere and Earth’s magnetic field, astronauts exploring the planet would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
Using computer modeling to simulate Martian conditions, researchers tested a variety of standard and new materials to see which ones best shielded cosmic radiation.
The results showed that composites based on plastic, rubber and synthetic fibers performed best. The Martian regolith can also absorb some of the radiation.
The scientists also showed that commonly used aluminum could also be useful in combination with other low atomic number materials.
The study also used real-life data from Mars obtained from NASA’s Curiosity rover to confirm these results.
“Many materials were specifically tested in conditions simulating the Martian environment, which allows our results to be directly applied to future missions and to optimize the combination of modern materials with natural resources available on Mars,” the authors of the scientific paper said.
Earlier scientists I learnedIt is stated that the first manned missions to Mars will not last more than a month.