Using Asteroids as Space Ships to Voyage to Mars

Mark Whittington Mark Whittington – Sun Feb 20, 2:21 pm ET


A study conducted by Gregory Matioff, an adjunct professor of physics at the New York City College of Technology, suggests the best way to travel to Mars might be to hitch a ride on a passing asteroid.

The advantage of such a method would be that an asteroid would provide plenty of radiation shielding for Mars-bound astronauts. Current studies suggest a 1,000-day round trip to Mars would increase the chances of the astronauts contracting cancer by 1 percent to 19 percent, not to mention DNA damage and the possibility of cataracts caused by exposure to cosmic background radiation.

The downside to hitching a ride on an asteroid is that rocks that pass close enough to the Earth and then close enough to Mars are few and far between. One candidate would be suitable for a journey in 2037 and two more in 2086. The other problem is that each of these asteroids would not be available for a return trip for many years. So, they would likely only be useful for Earth people who intended to colonize Mars rather than just explore the Red Planet and then return.

One possible work around for this problem would be to capture a suitable asteroid, outfit it as an interplanetary space craft, then launch it forth, using a huge solar sail or a mass driver to propel it. This approach would certainly be challenging and complex, but it would provide a natural space craft that could carry a large crew and plenty of supplies. The voyage to Mars using an asteroid as a space ship would certainly not be a fast one, though.

On the other hand, other experts suspect that with the proper light weight shielding, perhaps made with plastic, the radiation effects of a journey to Mars could be mitigated without having to use an asteroid as a shield. Future cancer treatments might also be an effective counter measure to the effects of radiation on astronauts. Methods of propulsion, such as ones using nuclear energy, to shorten trip times are also under consideration.

If an asteroid could be outfitted as a space ship with enough capacity to maintain a large enough passenger manifest, say several dozen rather than the four to six usually envisioned for a Mars voyage, then such an approach could carry enough people to the Red Planet to start a colony. The asteroid could be mined en route for useful materials that could then be shipped to the surface of Mars once the voyage was over. Thus the first settlement on Mars would start out with enough resources to make a go at being the first community of humans to live on another planet.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.


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