Robots Could Build a Base on the Moon

Just two meters of lunar regolith should protect you from 98% of the particles from cosmic radiation. However, about 2% of cosmic radiation is composed of heavy nuclei moving close to the speed of light which cannot be stopped by only 2 meters of soil. And its really not known whether or not these particles simply pass through the human body without any significant harm.

But we do know that these particles are an optical annoyance since they produce the retinal flashes seen in the eyeballs of astronauts on the lunar surface and, periodically, in Earth orbit, streaks of light of light observed every few minutes. Cosmonauts aboard the MIR sometimes found it impossible to sleep during periods of retinal flashes.

It takes at least 5 meters of lunar regolith to stop these high energy particles.

Marcel F. Williams

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Combs, Mike" wrote: