The structure and function of the kidneys is altered by space flight, with galactic radiation causing permanent damage that would jeopardise any mission to Mars, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL.
Those sound more like financial and engineering challenges than physics. If we build something like an Aldrin cycler, all that mass needs to be launched only once. Larger and cheaper rockets are currently in development, with multiple organizations currently working on fully or partially reusable launch vehicles.
I’m not convinced that asteroid mining is a necessary prerequisite for a well-shielded Mars mission, though it would definitely be more efficient in the future.
The weight, and all the extra fuel it would take to get it into orbit, which would require larger rockets, which drives up cost…
Until we can start mining asteroids, it’s probably a no go.
Those sound more like financial and engineering challenges than physics. If we build something like an Aldrin cycler, all that mass needs to be launched only once. Larger and cheaper rockets are currently in development, with multiple organizations currently working on fully or partially reusable launch vehicles.
I’m not convinced that asteroid mining is a necessary prerequisite for a well-shielded Mars mission, though it would definitely be more efficient in the future.