Determining Hazards of Deep-Space Radiation

[Waspie_Dwarf]

NASA Instrument Determines Hazards of Deep-Space Radiation

Deep-space radiation is a significant danger for interplanetary human space flight. But now an instrument on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has learned more than ever before about the high-energy hazards at and around the moon. New findings from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) were published today in the journal Space Weather.

"We've never had a detector that's been as good at understanding the effects of radiation through tissue-equivalent material as the CRaTER detector," said Nathan Schwadron, CRaTER principal investigator at the University of New Hampshire, Durham. "These publications document, wall-to-wall, different effects and instrument responses with some of the best long-term measurements ever made of radiation in deep space."

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[Mr Supertypo]

Beside radiation I think that also depression like SAD (seasonal affective disorder) may become a factor in long time deep space travel, but im sure they have already considered that.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Beside radiation I think that also depression like SAD (seasonal affective disorder) may become a factor in long time deep space travel, but im sure they have already considered that.

SAD is caused by a lack of sunlight, there is no absence of sunlight in interplanetary space. As for depression caused simply by being cooped up for months on end, this has not generally been a problrm on space stations as the crews are always busy.

Being far away from one's family can not be fun, but it is no different for an astronaut than it has been for sailors for centuries.