Four Civilians on SpaceX Flight Will Live in ‘High Radiation’ Belt, Expert Says
Ofer Cohen is available as an expert source for reporters writing about space science.
08/26/2024
Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus and Nancy Cicco
Weather permitting, a four-person SpaceX civilian astronaut team will begin their journey to one of the most inhospitable regions of space high above Earth Tuesday. Traveling to the Earth’s radiation belts, the crew will investigate the impact of the harsh space environment on manned missions.
However, the mission itself does not come without its own dangers.
“High space radiation can mimic the effect of putting a human in a microwave oven. Protecting astronauts from these conditions is the major obstacle in executing long-term missions,” said UMass Lowell astrophysicist and space weather expert Ofer Cohen.
“While unmanned missions can be designed so that crucial physical components in a spacecraft can be protected, protecting humans during long-range treks is a much greater challenge. The Polaris Dawn astronauts will be exposed to this harsh environment both in and outside their capsule.”
An associate professor of physics in UMass Lowell’s Kennedy College of Sciences, Cohen conducts research in the university’s Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology and leads UMass Lowell’s computational astrophysics and space physics group.
To arrange an interview with him, contact Emily Gowdey-Backus or Nancy Cicco.