It reminds us a little of manga Galaxy Express 999, in which a flying train crossed the Milky Way. Except that instead of a train, two scientists from the Taras Shevchenko National University of kyiv in Ukraine propose using asteroids passing near Earth as a means of transportation. The idea is to undertake space trips inside the so-called ‘Neo’, near-Earth objects, at the same time that the astronauts protect themselves from cosmic radiation. Fascinating, isn’t it? The details were published in the repository ArXiv.
Next station: Mars. Anticipate your descent
High levels of radiation from the Sun and cosmic rays are one of the main concerns for astronauts undertaking long journeys into space. “Compared to the route to the International Space Station (ISS), going to Mars and back doubles or triples the amount of time people are exposed to radiation. “They are not the same levels of radiation as in Chernobyl, but there will be a greater probability of developing neoplasms,” he explained to the magazine. New Scientist Matthew Gill, UK Space Radiation Services.
Science is already working on a solution: building a spaceship with special shielding, however, traveling inside an asteroid is also a viable alternative. “It is cheaper to use material that is already floating in space,” says Arsenii Kasianchuk, author of the study together with Volodymyr Reshetnyk. The two researchers analyzed the orbits of up to 35,000 near-Earth asteroids to see if some could be used in interplanetary missions between now and 2120. Specifically, they looked for those closest to Earth, Mars and Venus, where a special ship could easily land and take off.
They selected 120 candidates, some regularly passed close to these planets, others were less frequent. The idea is that astronauts travel to their destination, for example from Earth to Mars, and then wait for another asteroid to pass in the opposite direction to return. “In this case the asteroids are like trains,” says Kasianchuk. Scientists calculated that in 2079, an asteroid will pass from Earth to Venus and Mars in 230 days and return in the opposite direction in 2080, offering the opportunity to visit both planets in a single mission.
In 2019, a study by the University of Cambridge assured that it is possible to build a space elevator. This is what is required for the feat of space engineering.
The practical challenges
The idea is fascinating but requires many studies to face a wave of challenges. The first of them will be to match the speed of an asteroid in transit to land on its surface. “We’re talking about speeds of up to 30 kilometers per second, which requires a lot of fuel,” says Colin Snodgrass of the University of Edinburgh. The second challenge is to find a way to insert a special ship inside an asteroid: “There is a whole world of things that represent a technological challenge to dig holes in the middle of asteroids,” the expert emphasizes. Both Kasianchuk and Reshetnyk suggest that the solution to this last approach could be to first launch a device that digs a tunnel into the Neo and in which the ship can then land. There is still a lot of work to be done, but researchers hope that in the coming years we will be able to find more and more asteroids that can be used for interplanetary travel.
Article originally published in WIRED Italy. Adapted by Alondra Flores
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