Astronauts traveling to and from Mars would be bombarded with as much radiation as they would get from a full-body CT scan about once a week for a year, researchers reported.
That dose would, in some cases, exceed NASA’s standards and is enough to raise an astronaut’s cancer risk by three percent.
As plans for deep space exploration ramp up, radiation is a big concern — from high-energy galactic cosmic rays spewed by distant supernova explosions to sporadic bursts of charged particles hurled by the sun. Earth’s magnetic field helps to deflect much of that harmful radiation.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
NASA aims to send a crew to orbit the red planet by the mid-2030s. Private outfits like Inspiration Mars are seeking volunteers for a Mars flight.
There have been previous efforts to gauge the radiation risk for future Mars travelers, but the best estimate is coming from NASA’s Curiosity mission. Tucked inside the rover when it launched in 2011 was a radiation sensor that took readings during the eight-and-a-half-month cruise to Mars.
From those figures, scientists calculated a spacefarer’s radiation exposure for a quicker six-month voyage in a similarly shielded spacecraft — round-trip approximately 662 millisieverts.
The estimate is just for zipping there and back. It does not include time spent on the Martian surface, which would add to an astronaut’s exposure.
(AP)
往返火星的太空人面臨的輻射量,多達持續一年每週一次接受全身斷層掃描的劑量,研究人員報告指出。
這種劑量,在某些情況下,超過美國航空暨太空總署(NASA)的標準,並足以將太空人罹癌的風險提高百分之三。
當太空探險計畫大增,輻射是一大關切——從遙遠的超新星爆炸噴發的高能銀河宇宙射線,到太陽投射的帶電粒子零星爆裂。地球磁場有助於偏移大量的有害輻射。
NASA企圖在二0三0年代中期前將一組太空人送上這顆紅色星球的軌道。諸如「靈感火星」等民間企業也招募志願者前往火星。
此前就有針對未來火星旅人所做的輻射風險測量,但最佳推估來自NASA的「好奇號」任務。當這部探測車於二0一一年發射時,其內部便裝有輻射感應器,在前往火星的八點五個月航程中擷取輻射數據。
藉由那些數據,科學家計算太空人在較快的六個月航程中,在類似防護的太空船內暴露在輻射下的劑量。來回一趟︰約六百六十二毫西弗。
這個推估只是航行到那裡和返航的劑量,並未包括待在火星表面的時間,這段時間將增加太空人的輻射暴露量。
(美聯社/翻譯: 魏國金)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110