Orlando Sentinel

Houston, we have

another problem. Auditors say NASA’s plans for Mars are really just “optimistic” at best.

- By Jerry Markon

WASHINGTON — American culture and cinema often glorifies space travel, from the heroic early adventurer­s of “The Right Stuff” to the more recent rescue of Matt Damon’s astronaut character from Mars in “The Martian.”

But the reality is less glamorous, with journeys into deep space posing serious dangers to astronauts that include inadequate food, radiation exposure and heightened risks of developing cancer and other maladies.

NASA is not yet ready to handle those dangers as it moves ahead with plans to send the first human mission to Mars by the 2030s, according to a recent audit.

NASA inspector general Paul Martin found that the space agency “faces significan­t challenges” ensuring the safety of any Marsbound astronauts, and that its schedule to limit the risks is overly “optimistic.”

He said Mars crews likely will have to accept more risks to their health and safety than their predecesso­rs who went to the moon and work in the Internatio­nal Space Station.

“Long duration missions will likely expose crews to health and human performanc­e risks for which NASA has limited effective countermea­sures,” Martin wrote in the 48-page report.

A spokeswoma­n for NASA referred questions to the agency’s response contained in the report, which said it concurred with Martin’s recommenda­tions for improvemen­t.

“NASA has been working in all of these areas for some time,” the agency wrote. “Thus, the report represents a validation of, rather than a correct to, NASA’s ... plans and the challenges ahead.”

NASA is aiming to send a crew to the Martian surface by the 2030s, the latest iteration of a plan proposed by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.

But despite the publicity generated by the recent box-office success of “The Martian,” experts said serious technical challenges remain, and NASA’s flat budget won’t pay for a Mars mission.

On top of those obstacles, it’s not yet clear whether the government can keep astronauts safe.

Martin’s report outlines deep space risks that include altered gravity that produces loss of bone density and muscle strength, and space radiation that could lead to cancer.

 ?? TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX ?? According to an audit, NASA faces many more challenges in sending humans to Mars than Matt Damon did in “The Martian.”
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX According to an audit, NASA faces many more challenges in sending humans to Mars than Matt Damon did in “The Martian.”

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