Would you risk your health to visit Mars?

A crewed mission to Mars could be one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but getting there may come with serious health risks. Beyond the challenges of surviving in space for months at a time, astronauts would face prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation ‪—‬ high-energy particles in space that can penetrate the human body and potentially damage vital organs.

A new study suggested that cosmic radiation could pose a particular threat to heart health. Researchers found evidence that rats that were exposed to radiation similar to what human astronauts might encounter during a mission to Mars and back developed more scar tissue around the small vessels in their hearts compared with rats that weren’t exposed to space radiation.