[ RadSafe ] Mission to Mars

[Victor Anderson]

Good Afternoon,

About that shielding thing:  Rocks my friends, big rocks.  You find a rock
in space that is about 300 to 500 meters in diameter on one axis somewhere
in the solar system.  Doesn't have to be a spherical object.  Put said rock
into a high orbit around earth with low yield nuclear explosives.  Hollow
the object out so that walls are about 10 meters thick.  Reinforce as
needed.  That should provide adequate shielding.  If not, make them thicker.
The next challenge is to design the ship so that it can be spun and provide
artificial gravity of about 1 g on the inner side of the walls.  Now install
a nuclear rocket and go.  Use the materials you got from hollowing out the
new space ship in building same.  If you pick the right rock, you may be
able to sell some of the valuable minerals to help fund your trip.  Trips
via the surface of Mars and Earth will be via shuttle craft.  Yes, this will
be expensive.  However, the crew of the ship can be large and diverse enough
that social-psychological problems are minimal, if someone (gulp) dies, you
can have a replacement, and emergencies can be dealt with.  What will be
interesting is the radiation environment outside the ship and the health
physics for dealing with same.  My opinion is that such an expedition should
have a small health physics section.  Alright, who has a few extra billions
of dollars to fund the trip? :)

Victor

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Brennan, Mike
(DOH)
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 3:12 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Mission to Mars

I saw a presentation a couple of years ago that conclude that if you
could assume the passengers were 50+ year-old men, and shielded
appropriately, the trip was doable.  If, however, you had to design as
if the passengers might be pregnant 20 year-old women, the shielding
would be too massive, and you couldn't build a ship that met the other
requirements.  

I, personally, would rather continue sending SPECTACULARLY successful
robotic probes until a Space Elevator is built.  At that point the cost
to get mass out of the gravity well plummets, and all the constraints
for a ship that can get to Mars changes.  

On a related note, I've toyed with the idea of how you could use nuclear
power (more-or-less conventional reactor, rather than using
thermoelectric tech) in microgravity, I've pretty much concluded you
need to have it in a spinning ship, with the top towards the axis, and
auxiliary equipment acting to balance the mass.  Quite possibly the
design you would wind up with is a disc, or saucer.  This would, however
not make for a ship you got to land anywhere.     

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Maury Siskel
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 2:47 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Cc: JPreisig at aol.com
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Mission to Mars

I thought this trip remains beyond the shielding capabilities to
withstand irradiation exposure  --  has this changed?  Otherwise sounds
like a great adventure -- Dog also sez ok.
Maury&Dog  [MaurySiskel  maurysis at peoplepc.com]
========================= On 2/22/2013 12:55 PM, JPreisig at aol.com wrote:
> Dear Radsafe:
>
>       Hey All.  On US TV News today, Zubrin and  colleagues have
announced a private effort to
> reach Mars via spaceship or whatever.  The mission will start in
2018.  The trip will last 501 days.
>
>       Wonder if Maury and Dog will volunteer for the  trip???  Get
your spacesuits and Geiger Counters  ready???
>
>       Regards,   Joe Preisig
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