Space agencies like NASA are now busy gearing up for their Mars colonization missions and as an initial step, humans will soon set up a permanent lunar colony. However, scientists have now warned that the manned Mars mission will not be that easy to achieve and humans may face death at each moment during the journey.
In space, charged particles used to travel across the vacuum at the speed of light. However, on earth, the planet's atmosphere and the magnetic layer protects humans and other living beings from these harmful radiations.
In space, the radiation level is expected to be 700 times more than that of the earth, and there is no protective layer to protect astronauts. Moreover, a trip to Mars could take at least seven or eight months and the astronauts will be exposed to space radiation throughout this period.
Marco Durante, an Italian physicist revealed that it is difficult to take humans to Mars using the current technologies.
"One day in space is equivalent to the radiation received on Earth for a whole year. The real problem is the large uncertainty surrounding the risks. We don't understand space radiation very well and the long-lasting effects are unknown. As it stands today, we can't go to Mars due to radiation. It would be impossible to meet acceptable dose limits," said Durante, as reported by Express.co.uk.
Several previous studies had also revealed that space radiation exposure could trigger dreaded diseases like cancer among living beings.
A few months back, SpaceX founder Elon Musk had claimed that he will visit Mars despite narrow chances of survival. Musk made these remarks during an interview with Axios on HBO, and he made it clear that the probability of dying on Mars is much higher when compared to earth. As per Musk, if everything goes well as planned, the government that will be set up on the Red Planet will be based on direct democracy.
