Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to And What's So Tough About Going From Apollo To Apollo or Shuttle To Magnum?

re: The void between the Earth and Mars
Raoul — (archived)

What's really stricking are the number of failed unmanned Mars missions.
None of the Russian missions succeeded and they've sent dozens of probes to the Red Planet. Why?
How about the time spent while cruising to Mars?
How about the reduced efficiency of solar panels?
The accumulation of solar radiation and cosmic rays is much bigger than for a trip to the Moon.
And the electronic circuits might not like them.

There must first be a "short" (say 3 months) manned trip outside of the Earth-Moon system, before a 3 year long trip is planned.

Even if Mars does offer a level of protection, there are several objections: To Mars and back takes 1 year all told.
On the surface of Mars, it would be ridiculous to stay inside a shelter all the time. The astronauts will be traveling inside a pressurized wheeled vehicle as much as possible because they'll want to explore! They won't be that well protected, then.

Raoul

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