This is the single most important issue for future manned space exploration. The development of technology that can mitigate and manipulate incoming radiation is of paramount importance in research and development. The technologies developed will be useful here on Earth.

Living in the desert one can see what high energy radiation damage does: premature aging, eyebrows disappear, hair greys and thins prematurely, etc. Mostly epidermal and subdermal ionizing damage to skin, follicles and such.

Any astronaut exposed to the heavy duty stuff can be expect to age very rapidly as his DNA is broken down faster or more significantly than the body's natural repair process can handle. Organ inefficiency and failure will be one of the primary concerns.

Aluminum is a bad joke. Plastics are not much better. New alloys need to be developed specifically for the purpose of shielding. What's more field technology and science needs to be employed to the problem. Alloys can be developed that, when charged, emit a stronger field. This field can be used to redirect radiation and keep it oscillating in the field. This is the secret to shielding. Shields work when you create a field filled with controlled radiation. This radiation intercepts and cancel out incoming particles and adds their MeV to the field, making it more and more effective as it is used! This is exactly what our planet's magnetosphere does.

Through significant R&D activity, developing a lighter weight, super-strength alloy which, particularly when electrified, has shielding properties significantly better than 1 foot of lead could (ideallly) be developed if enough R&D dollars and mental skill are applied to the problem.

These alloy will then be used on future spacecraft, spacesuits and will shield any future living quarters or structures. On earth they will be used in aircraft first to shield pilot, crew and passengers from radiation. Then they will be used in the deserts and eventually find their way into the everyday automobile. People will stay younger, live longer and healthier. Looking like on is 40 at 60 will be normal once people start to seriously mitigate radiation here on Earth. When this stuff is everywhere, buildings, etc - this will bring average lifespans up about 25 years and in that tomorrow living to age 115 will be like today's 90. Alzheimer's, and all sorts of other impaired cell intelligence function diseases (like cancer), will be reduced dramatically as the total doses of ionizing radiation diminish.

I included this last part so that folks realize the R&D dollars and effort spent are not ONLY good for space exploration and, in fact, will bring even more benefits here on Earth. Earth is still in the technological dark ages, hardly more than a step removed from the cave man. The future will provide near limitless technology which would appear as if magic today. Energy will be understood and when understood, will be manipulated marvelously.