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Even in “short trips” radiation damages astronoauts

But what’s interesting, and concerning, is that even with those protections we do see signs of radiation damage to astronauts,Cucinotta told me. The big thing is cataracts — changes in the lens of the eye that make it more opaque.

There’s also probably an increased risk of cancer, though it’s difficult to estimate how much, exactly. That’s because we don’t have human epidemiological data about the kind of radiation astronauts are exposed to.

How space radiation hurts astronauts, Boing Boing,  Maggie Koerth-Baker, Jan 4, 2013  Space is full of radiation. It’s impossible to escape. Imagine standing in the middle of a dust storm, with bits of gravel constantly swirling around you, whizzing by, pinging against your skin. That’s what radiation is like in space. The problem is that, unlike a pebble or a speck of dirt, ionizing radiation doesn’t bounce off human flesh. It goes right through, like a cannonball through the side of the building, leaving damage behind.

Last week, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center published a study that suggests long exposures to galactic cosmic radiation — like the kind astronauts might experience on a trip to Mars — could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease…..

Galactic cosmic radiation — also called galactic cosmic rays — is the kind of radiation that researchers are most worried about. It’s made up particles, bits and pieces of atoms that were probably flung off from the aftermath of supernovas. The majority of this radiation, roughly 90%, is made up protons ripped from atoms of hydrogen. These particles travel around the galaxy at almost the speed of light….

with the exception of Apollo flights to the Moon, the human presence in space has happened within the Earth’s magnetic field. The International Space Station, for instance, is above the atmosphere, but still well inside the first line of defense. Our astronauts aren’t exposed to the full force of galactic cosmic radiation.

They’re also exposed to it for a relatively limited amount of time. The longest spaceflight ever lasted a little over a year. And that matters, because the damage from radiation is cumulative. You simply can’t rack up as much risk on a six month jaunt to the ISS as you could, theoretically, on a multi-year excursion to Mars.

But what’s interesting, and concerning, is that even with those protections we do see signs of radiation damage to astronauts,Cucinotta told me. The big thing is cataracts — changes in the lens of the eye that make it more opaque. With less light able to get into their eyes, people with cataracts lose some of their ability to see. In 2001, Cucinotta and his colleagues looked at data from the ongoing Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health, and found that astronauts who had been exposed to higher doses of radiation (because they’d flown more missions in space, or because of the specifics of the missions they’d been on*) were more likely to develop cataracts than those who had been exposed to lower doses.

There’s also probably an increased risk of cancer, though it’s difficult to estimate how much, exactly. That’s because we don’t have human epidemiological data about the kind of radiation astronauts are exposed to. … http://boingboing.net/2013/01/04/how-space-radiation-hurts-astr.html

January 8, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health