VENTURE
Deep-space living presents a number of challenges
PRNEWSFOTO/LOCKHEED MARTIN
NASA is taking baby steps toward human exploration of Mars, including the recent announcement of the future construction of the Deep Space Gateway, an outpost orbiting the moon. But life in deep space will be different from what astronauts have experienced living in low Earth orbit. Jim Bell, a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, says there are several challenges humans will have to surmount before venturing out farther into the solar system including: Communication latency. Voice calls, emails, etc., will experience a delay of as long as 40 minutes when Mars is most distant from Earth. “You can’t have real-time communications,” Bell says. Exposure to radiation. Extra shielding must be devised to protect spacecraft and humans working in deep space. Supplies. For missions that last months and even years, astronauts will need to harvest some necessities from the planet they are on. To learn more about ASU’s research related to space exploration, visit sese.asu.edu.
ASU THRIVE MAGAZINE
15
