Posted on 03/03/2013 8:28:32 AM PST by James C. Bennett
Astronauts onboard a privately-funded expedition to Mars in 2018 will use their own faeces to protect themselves against cosmic radiation.
The couple during the Inspiration Mars mission, funded by multimillionaire Dennis Tito, and set to fly-by the Red Planet in 2018 will face cramped conditions, muscle atrophy and potential boredom.
However, their greatest health risk comes from exposure to the radiation from cosmic rays, 'New Scientist' reported.
The project will develop a radiation shield for the spacecraft by lining its walls with human waste, among other materials.
"It's a little queasy sounding, but there's no place for that material to go, and it makes great radiation shielding," said Taber MacCallum, a member of the team funded by Tito who announced the audacious plan earlier. Solid and liquid human waste products would be put into bags and used as a radiation shield - as well as being dehydrated so that any water can be recycled for drinking, McCallum said.
"Dehydrate them as much as possible, because we need to get the water back," he said.
"Those solid waste products get put into a bag, put right back against the wall," said MacCallum, adding food too could be used as a radiation shield.
"Food is going to be stored all around the walls of the spacecraft, because food is good radiation shielding," he said.
This would not be dangerous as the food would merely be blocking the radiation, it would not become a radioactive source, the report said.
Water has long been suggested as a shielding material for interplanetary space missions.
"Water is better than metals for protection," said Marco Durante of the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.
That is because nuclei are the things that block cosmic rays, and water molecules, made of three small atoms, contain more nuclei per volume than a metal.
“Mars Mission to use astronaut faeces as radiation shield”
I dont know what kind of affirmative action idiots they have working at NASA these days but cosmic rays are very high energy and penetrate nearly anything. Bags of feces will do NOTHING to stop cosmic rays. Its ridiculous to even contemplate.
Ted Stryker: “When Kramer hears about this, the s***’s gonna hit the fan!”
“but there’s no place for that material to go”
Is all the space between Earth and Mars full?
“but there’s no place for that material to go” is one of the stupidest things i have ever read in my life, and i read a lot.
“but there’s no place for that material to go”
Is all the space between Earth and Mars full?
“but there’s no place for that material to go” is one of the stupidest things i have ever read in my life, and i read a lot.
Thanks James C. Bennett. I didn’t check for Uranus jokes, but ya just know, they’re probably there.
Thanks James C. Bennett. I didn’t check for Uranus jokes, but ya just know, they’re probably there.
O.K.
I enjoyed many of the earlier jokes in the thread, but YOURS wins 1st prize, I think.
Thanks for a great laugh.
It wont be, Jack. Snas water, there’s not much shielding left.
A couple years ago I bought that DVD specifically for that clip. So funny!
Sounds dumb, at least the part where they intend to keep the crap on board. I don’t really believe that the human crap can make a better radiation shield than other available means.
And, after extracting the H2O from the crap (provided they CAN actually purify the H2O again afterward), if they jetisoned the dehydrated crap instead of keeping it on board, then I’d imagine the trip home whould take less fuel because all the food that had been consumed (and a lot of it’s weight) would have been jetisoned with the crap - instead of remaining as unneccesary weight on board.
What is in feces that it would shield radiation?
I’d imagine a millimeter of lead would do more than a foot of sh**
They’re There. LOL.
It would work better if they fed the astronauts a high-lead diet.
The dehydrated crap can be jetisoned rearward to help propel the craft forward. Put it in a chamber, manually pull back a hydraulic lever that creates the propulsive force to eject the crap and you're saving more fuel for the trip. (Ejecting material causes an equal and opposite force forward of the craft.)
Related news from 2011:
‘Onions, cow dung reduce radiation impact’
Rajiv Mani, TNN Mar 27, 2011, 10.19 pm IST
Allahabad: The threat of nulcear radiation in Japan has raised widespread concerns across the world. India too, which has many nuclear plants, needs to be worried, specially for its population living near the nuke plants.
TOI spoke to associate professor in physics department, KN Uttam, about the nuclear radiation and ways to prevent it. He said some traditional Indian practices can help in minimising the effects of Gamma rays, the most harmful rays emitted in nuclear radiation.
“Traditional methods like keeping onions in pockets and applying a layer of Cow Dung on the outside walls of houses absorb the harmful gamma rays,” Uttam said. “Cow dung, in fact, can absorb all the three rays — alpha, beta and gamma. Among these, alpha rays cannot penetrate the layers of cloths whereas beta falls after hitting the same but the Gamma rays penetrate the body tissue and is the most harmful,” he added. If the outer walls of houses are coated with thick layers of cow dung, it will absorb the gamma rays and in turn people would be safe, said Uttam who has worked in the ministry of science and technology and MHRD.
Similarly, research has shown that onions too absorb the Gamma rays. Besides, Indian practices based on herbal methods, including applying gram flour (besan) and mustard oil on the human skin, too minimise the effects of radiation, Uttam said.
“The leafy vegetables like spinach, basil, fenugreek leaves (methi ka saag), mustard leaves (sarson ka saag) etc., too have radiation but it’s negligible and hence not harmful,” he said.
These leafs have Sodium 23 and 24 along with Potassium which is infact essential for body growth. These isotopes has a short life as Potassium 42 half life time is 12 hours (after which the quantity of the same comes to half) whereas that of Sodium 22 is 2.5 years. Similarly, there are different Beta emitters like Sodium 22 and 24 Potassium 45, Iron 59 but are non-hazardous. There are many naturally occurring isotopes which are non-hazardous as they do not cross the natural limit, said Uttam.
Well, if they’re going to shield the spacecraft from radiation using crap, they should send politicians to Mars....they’re all full of s—t, so they’ll be safe.
Well, they don't want Greenpeace protesting them for polluting all that virgin old-growth vacuum.
“Honey, I have to go.
You’ll just have to hold it, it’s only another 375,000
miles, and besides, I know a short cut”.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.