NASA astronauts 'must follow' strict regime when leaving Earth for Mars
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Nasa wants to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s: a journey that would take around nine whole months. The red planet, which has become the first to be inhabited entirely by robots, is a mind-boggling 140 million miles away from Earth, and is the fourth closest to the Sun.
"Given this distance, planning and self-sufficiency will be essential to successful missions to Mars," Nasa explained. "Facing a communication delay of up to 20 minutes one way, the possibility of equipment failures or medical emergencies, and a critical need to ration food and supplies, astronauts must be capable of confronting an array of situations with minimal support from teams on Earth.".
Experts at the space administration are currently working on a range of technologies to help astronauts conduct a three-year round trip to the planet. This includes inflatable landing gear; high-tech space suits that are adaptable to Mars' wicked weather conditions (with medium surface temperatures of -65C); a home on wheels so astronauts can work 'on another world'; surface power systems that operate 'regardless of location or weather', and laser communications to stay in touch with earth and send more data quicker.
Kirsty Lindsay is a post-graduate researcher at Northumbria University, who spent two years at the European Space Agency working on human spaceflight programs. Her current research explores maintaining astronaut health and applying these insights to clinical care on Earth, which could come in handy when Nasa's Mars mission is confirmed.
