{"id":17945,"date":"2019-09-10T19:36:31","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T11:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/the-safest-bet-for-space-settlers-would-you-believe-its-inside-mars-moon-deimos\/"},"modified":"2019-09-10T19:36:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-10T11:36:31","slug":"the-safest-bet-for-space-settlers-would-you-believe-its-inside-mars-moon-deimos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/the-safest-bet-for-space-settlers-would-you-believe-its-inside-mars-moon-deimos\/","title":{"rendered":"The safest bet for space settlers? Would you believe it\u2019s inside Mars\u2019 moon Deimos?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Deimos
Jim Logan, a former NASA flight surgeon who is the co-founder of the Space Enterprise Institute, lays out his plan for putting a space settlement inside the Martian moon Deimos. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The smaller of Mars\u2019 two moons, Deimos, was named after the Greek god of terror \u2014 but the way former NASA flight surgeon Jim Logan sees it, Deimos could be a comfort zone for space settlers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mars-facing side of Deimos is probably the most valuable real estate in the solar system,\u201d Logan, co-founder of the Space Enterprise Institute, said today at Seattle\u2019s Museum of Flight.<\/p>\n

Logan laid out his case for Deimos during a conference on space settlement, presented this week by the Space Studies Institute to highlight the late Princeton physicist Gerard O\u2019Neill\u2019s vision for humanity\u2019s expansion into the solar system.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill outlined his concept for free-flying space habitats in a 1977 book titled \u201cThe High Frontier.\u201d The concept inspired a Princeton student named Jeff Bezos to pursue his own space dreams, even as he built Amazon into an online retail juggernaut and became the world\u2019s richest individual.<\/p>\n

Today, Logan said the classic O\u2019Neill habitat wouldn\u2019t be the best place to put an off-Earth settlement. Based on up-to-date measurements of the radiation flux in deep space, he estimates that it would take three times as much bulk as O\u2019Neill called for to provide Earth-level protection to the inhabitants of the habitat described in \u201cThe High Frontier.\u201d That translates to a whopping 8.5 million tons of shielding.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Former NASA flight surgeon James Logan is a co-founder of the Space Enterprise Institute. (SEI Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Logan argued that the surface of the moon and Mars also would be ill-suited for long-term stays \u2014 again, primarily due to radiation exposure.<\/p>\n

John Charles, who served a stint as chief scientist for NASA\u2019s Human Research Program and is now scientist in residence at Space Center Houston, agreed that radiation is one of the top bugaboos for long-term spaceflight. \u201cMy colleague, Jim Logan, made a comment that I quote \u2026  and that is, \u2018We shouldn\u2019t call it space, we should call it radiation,\u2019 because that\u2019s what there is out there,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n

An elevated risk of cancer is the most obvious impact of space radiation exposure. Charles said NASA is careful to limit the increased risk for its astronauts to no more than 3 percent. \u201cIt\u2019s like going from being a non-smoker to a smoker,\u201d he said. But for settlers on the moon or Mars, beyond the protection of Earth\u2019s magnetic field, the risk would be greater.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not the only concern: There\u2019s evidence linking cosmic radiation exposure to cognitive decline, bone degradation, a heightened rate of DNA repair and a revved-up immune system. Prolonged stays in reduced gravity conditions are also known to weaken bones and muscles, as well as eyesight.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the solution? To dodge long-term radiation exposure, settlers may have to dig deep. \u201cThey\u2019ll have to live like ants, earthworms or moles,\u201d Logan said.<\/p>\n

He suggested excavating a miles-long tunnel straight through Deimos, which is thought to have a porous interior that\u2019s easy to dig through. Logan hinted that SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk\u2019s Boring Company could handle the job. The fact that Deimos is smaller and lighter than its sister moon, Phobos, could be seen as a plus.<\/p>\n

\"Deimos
An artist\u2019s conception shows astronauts conducting a surface mission on Deimos, one of Mars\u2019 moons. (Lockheed Martin Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At its core, a tunnel running through Deimos would provide far more protection from radiation than we Earthlings have. A chain of habitats could be installed inside the tunnel, with each habitat spun up around its axis to provide artificial gravity. Finding reserves of water ice would be another plus.<\/p>\n

Settlers could send remotely operated robots to Mars for surface exploration. And eventually, similar habitats might be built inside Martian lava tubes.<\/p>\n

How strong does gravity\u2019s pull have to be to keep settlers and their children healthy? Logan said that\u2019s a question that NASA hasn\u2019t tried to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe private sector is going to have to do that, because NASA\u2019s not interested. \u2026 It\u2019s not in their charter, and I don\u2019t blame them, even though I disagree,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Joe Carroll, president of California-based Tether Applications, has suggested setting up an experimental habitat that rotates on \u201ctrapeze tethers\u201d in low Earth orbit to gauge the health effects of different gravity environments. (Check out Appendix B and C in this research paper for details.)<\/p>\n

Solar arrays or nuclear reactors could be built on Deimos\u2019 surface to keep the lights on inside the habitats, but what about food? NASA has been conducting a series of plant-growing experiments to assess techniques for producing space sustenance. Some scientists are even looking into algae farming in space.<\/p>\n