Corey Nislow is not an astronaut, but if humanity makes it to Mars safely, he will have played a vital role.
In his lab at UBC, he’s working to develop drugs and other treatments that can protect space mission crews from the impact of cosmic radiation.
“Outside Earth’s protective atmosphere, mission crew are exposed to formidable amounts of radiation. This radiation comes from solar flares and ionized galactic particles. It hurtles across space at incredible speeds – and it can pass through spacecraft like a hot knife through butter,” explains Nislow.
While humans are exposed to small amounts of radiation daily, cosmic radiation is immensely faster and more dangerous, damaging human DNA and raising the risks for cancer and other degenerative diseases. Mars mission crew are likely to encounter this type of radiation during their long spaceflight.
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