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Can we survive beyond the Van Allen belt?

28/7/2016

Cutaway model of the Van Allen radiation belts encircling the Earth. This radiation poses a threat to astronauts and spacecraft. You can see the ISS is in orbit at only 230 miles above Earth. Image courtesy of NASA

Half a century after the Apollo missions, research has just been published revealing the negative effects on human hearts of the radiation from and beyond the Van Allen belt. The findings of the study in the Scientific Reports Journal compared the causes of death of Apollo Mission astronauts with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) astronauts and non-flight astronauts. The results revealed that 45% of the Apollo astronauts died from cardiovascular disease, in comparison to just 9% of non-flight astronauts and 11% of LEO astronauts. (Published Article)

An obvious drawback of the research is the very small sample size, which is unavoidable as the number of people who have gone into space is very limited - approximately 550 to date. However, it does highlight a problem that space researchers have known about since the beginning of space travel and a problem that remains unsolved – how do we protect astronauts from radiation once they leave the protection of Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field?

This recent publication may be the best proof that space radiation could be a real limiting factor for future long-duration deep space missions. While there are many ways to counteract the effects of microgravity on human physiology, no feasible radiation protection has as yet been developed. Could this signal an end or at least a lengthy delay to our dreams of exploring Mars?

See also, The Guardian newspaper report entitled - Apollo deep space astronauts five times more likely to die from heart disease

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First image from Juno . . .

13/7/2016

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Image of Jupiter courtesy of NASA

The first in-orbit image of Jupiter to be sent back from the spacecraft Juno has been released by NASA.

Jupiter's atmospheric bands and famous Great Red Spot can be clearly seen, with this being is a persistent anticyclonic storm that has raged on for at least 350 years. Also evident are three of the gigantic gaseous planet's four largest moons, known as the Galilean moons and discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 - named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto (not in view).

The first images are confirmation that the spacecraft's equipment have survived the near 5-year journey to get to the planet and the entry into orbit. The remaining probes will now be activated and checked, and should provide much valuable information over the next 18 months regarding the structure and chemistry of the planet, giving a better idea of how this enormous sphere was formed some four-and-a-half billion years ago.

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The reunion of Juno and Jupiter . . . . . .

10/7/2016

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Image courtesy of NASA

On 5th August 2011, NASA launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, an unmanned spacecraft destined for Jupiter. Called Juno, its goal is to investigate the composition of the Solar Systems's gigantic gaseous planet and to explore, therefore, the process of its formation and evolution over billions of years.

Important questions require answering regarding the quantity of water the planet contains and the composition of its core. It is hoped that the Juno probe will provide answers to these queries, which will help scientists on Earth to better understand how the Solar System itself was formed and what will be its evolution.

The name of the probe was not chosen by chance. Juno, the Roman version of the Greek god Hera, was the wife of Jupiter, the king of the gods. The marital relationship between these two mythological beings was what led scientists to name the probe as such. The roots of the name of Jupiter itself also lie in the legends of the Greek heroes; it is the largest planet of our star system, and named in reference to the power bestowed on and exerted by the most important divine figure among the Gods of Mount Olympus.

The high technology space probe Juno cost more than a billion US dollars, in a project counting on the scientific collaboration of other countries, such as Italy, France and Belgium, through a partnership with the European Space Agency. After travelling nearly three billion kilometres, if everything goes to plan, the spacecraft will first orbit the poles of the giant planet, something never done before, flying over Jupiter 37 times during a period of one Earth year, at an altitude of 5000 km above its cloud layer.

Last week, almost five years after its launch, Juno entered Jupiter's orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to have for the first time a close-up of this gigantic gaseous planet. And so, once more, Juno and Jupiter are together. This reunion, however, is not the stuff of mythological legends, but should be useful to help unlock many of the secrets hidden in the far reaches of the Solar System.

(Link to Portuguese version article in the Diário Popular of Pelotas)

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Can we survive beyond the Van Allen belt?

First image from Juno . . .

The reunion of Juno and Jupiter . . . . . .﻿

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The reunion of Juno and Jupiter . . . . . .