“You can’t protect them from galactic radiation using shielding, but as we learn more about renal biology it may be possible to develop technological or pharmaceutical measures to facilitate extended space travel.”

I wonder why

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 weeks ago (16 children)

If you're asking about the shielding, probably the mass required for materials that are generally used for radiation shielding. If the craft is built terrestrially, the amount of energy necessary to launch would be insurmountable with current chemical rockets.

Now, if the craft were manufactured in space (and forming of the shielding materials were practical in low-G), the problematic materials could be shuttled up over time, making it a non-issue. This would, of course, also mean that the craft could not be used for re-entry and would require landing craft. And there's all the logistics challenges (supplying air, etc). Probably though the direction that will be necessary for long-distance space craft.

[–] Melvin_Ferd 1 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Imagine the Co2 released just to get to a space station.

[–] Kbobabob 1 points 2 weeks ago

Search Labs | AI Overview Learn more… The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by a SpaceX rocket depends on the stage of the launch and the type of rocket:

Starship
According to Andrew Wilson, an assistant professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, one launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket produces 76,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is a measurement that combines different greenhouse gases into one unit.
Falcon 9
According to an independent study, the amount of CO2 emitted by the Falcon 9 rocket in the lower atmosphere isn't significant compared to the surrounding air. However, in the mesosphere, which is 30–50 miles above Earth, the rocket emits the same amount of CO2 as 26 cubic kilometers of the surrounding air as it travels 1 kilometer.
Other launches
In 2022, the BBC reported that one SpaceX launch emitted around 116 tons of CO2 in 165 seconds during the first stage of the launch. In general, rockets emit around 200–300 tons of CO2 per launch

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