A journey to Mars, or space in general, presents an inexhaustible list of complexities and hazards that could endanger both the mission and the astronauts on board. As humans set their sights on Mars and the narrative of colonising it shifted from fiction to fact, NASA established the Human Research Program (HRP). The HRP takes a stepping-stone approach to studying the health effects of human spaceflight, using Earth-based analogues, experiments on the International Space Station, and lunar missions under the agency’s Artemis program (a program designed to take humans back to the moon).

The purpose of this programme is to ensure that space exploration is safe and to better understand the impacts that extended periods of time in space and on different planets might have. The Hazards of space exploration are diverse and the list is, in a way, inexhaustible. However, research being done to understand these risks and develop countermeasures is important if we are to make it all the way to Mars. Imagine it: humans walking the red planet. How exciting!

NASA’s Human Research Program conducts research and develops countermeasures for the major risks attributed to the exploration of Mars and spaceflight more generally. The hazards astronauts will encounter have been classified into five major categories, which are outlined below. Pooling the challenges faced by astronauts allows for an organised effort to understand and overcome these obstacles. It is important to acknowledge that these hazards do not exist in isolation. Rather, they feed off one another and exacerbate the effects on the human body and mind. By understanding these risks more clearly, collecting data, and developing new technologies and methods, NASA can accumulate knowledge that will apply to multi-year interplanetary missions. The five major risk categories are:

Radiation:

The first hazard of human missions to Mars is the most difficult to visualise because it is invisible to the human eye. Radiation is considered to be the most menacing of the five hazards and has the potential to cause the most damage. To better understand the impacts of radiation, NASA teamed up with the U.S. Department of Energy to unpack the effects of cosmic radiation on the human body. The results showed that without Earth’s natural protection, radiation exposure increases the risk of cancer, damages the central nervous system, and can impact both the cognitive and motor functions of astronauts. To mitigate this risk, deep space vehicles will have significant protective shielding, and research is being done into medical countermeasures such as pharmaceuticals to help defend against radiation.

Isolation and confinement:

Behavioral issues among groups of people stuck in a small space over a long period of time will be inevitable. This is one of the challenges a group of astronauts will undoubtedly face on a multi-year mission to Mars. While crews will be carefully chosen and trained, it will be important to equip these explorers with strategies to work together for months or years. While on Earth, we are able to maintain important human connections or escape difficult situations. However, on a trip to Mars, astronauts will be isolated from their families, friends and confined in smaller spaces than we can imagine. These issues will be compounded by sleep loss and work overload, and may have adverse health outcomes, compromising the mission to Mars. Various studies have been conducted to understand the effects of isolation on human behaviour, and these learnings will be used to develop techniques and tactics to maintain – well – sanity.