Mars-bound pioneers will beexposedtoradiation levels that could effectively retire astronauts under NASA's current standards, scientists reported Thursday.
Zeitlin and his colleagues found voyagers could beexposedto between 554 and 770 millisieverts of ionizing radiation during the trip, depending on the level of solar activity.
Depending upon the prevailing winds, somewhere between fifty and eighty million Americans downwind could beexposedto dangerous -- if not lethal -- levels of radiation.