Scientists have investigated what materials are best to use to build a Martian base. They concluded that composite materials, aluminum and rocks could best be saved from the radiation that poses the greatest danger on this planet.
Radiation on Mars
Researchers from New York University in Abu Dhabi and the University of Patras in Greece recently published a study in The European Physical Journal Plus. They studied which materials are best suited to protect astronauts on Mars from cosmic radiation.
In fact, there are enough things on the fourth planet from the sun that could kill astronauts. There’s the low temperature and atmospheric pressure, the lack of water and oxygen. However, if we talk about long-term stay on the planet and things we don’t yet know what to do about, it is cosmic radiation that is the biggest problem today.
Mars has virtually no global magnetic field, and its atmosphere is very thin and completely devoid of an ozone layer. This means that all high-energy particles, whether they come from the Sun or are born somewhere in the depths of space, freely reach the surface, and if people feel their influence for a long time, they can develop numerous diseases.
Best materials for protection
The first thing established by the scientists is that the best option for protecting astronauts on Mars is the new composite materials provided to them for testing. They consist of synthetic fibers placed in a plastic or rubber matrix. Despite the price, they can be used to build spacesuits, base modules, or vehicle bodies.
However, conventional aluminum, which is now used to make the main mass of spacecraft, has also proven to be quite effective. Only it should be used in combination with other low atomic number materials.
Finally, ordinary regolith, the rocks that make up the planet’s surface, also proved capable of protecting humans from radiation. You can’t make a spacesuit out of it, of course. But it is quite suitable for covering the base with it.
According to phys.org
