**Astronauts Will Use Their Own Poop as Radiation Shield for Mars Mission**
In an innovative and somewhat unconventional approach to protect astronauts from deadly cosmic radiation during a long-haul Mars mission, scientists have proposed using astronaut waste as insulation. This groundbreaking idea was shared by Anthony in his D News video, which explores the challenges of deep-space travel and the creative solutions being developed to overcome them.
The mission in question is led by the Inspiration Mars Foundation, a nonprofit organization spearheaded by billionaire Dennis Tito. The foundation aims to send a private spacecraft on a slingshot trajectory around Mars. One of the most notable aspects of this mission is its crew selection criteria—Tito is seeking a middle-aged married couple to man the spacecraft. This choice is twofold: first, because married couples are more likely to support each other in the isolation of long-term space travel, and second, because cosmic radiation exposure during the mission would likely result in sterilization. A middle-aged couple, beyond reproductive age, would be less affected by this outcome.
Cosmic rays pose a significant threat to astronauts during extended space missions. These high-energy particles can cause serious health issues, including DNA damage and an increased risk of cancer. Shielding against cosmic radiation is a critical challenge for any long-term space travel mission, regardless of whether the crew intends to have children or not.
So, how do you shield intrepid explorers from cosmic radiation on a nonprofit budget? The solution may seem gross, but it’s actually quite ingenious: recycle the astronauts' poop into insulation. As the astronauts relieve themselves, they fill large bags that are then used to line the walls of the spacecraft. This lining not only protects them from radiation but also makes the entire process feel "crazy icky," as Anthony humorously points out.
The system works like this: the bags start off filled with drinking water and lining the walls of the ship. As the astronauts drink, the bags transition from food storage to waste collection. The waste-filled bags are then placed back on the walls and recycled into clean drinking water over time. While this process may sound unpleasant, it’s both cost-efficient and space-efficient—a necessity for a mission with limited resources.
Water is actually more effective than metal or other materials at blocking cosmic rays. This is because water molecules contain nuclei that can deflect the energy of incoming particles. Water molecules are tiny—just three small atoms—which means they have more nuclei per volume than metal does. The result is a 40 cm thick liquid shield around the spacecraft, created by lining the walls with these recycled waste bags.
One of the challenges yet to be fully addressed is the issue of smell and sight. Imagine being surrounded by your own waste as it breaks down into water—it’s not exactly an ideal scenario. To combat this, the team is testing more pleasant alternatives, such as bags that grow algae for food or scrub carbon dioxide out of the air. These natural processes are designed to be less prone to failure than mechanical systems, which would be critical at 140 million miles away from Earth.
The thought of living a "poop-centric" lifestyle might seem daunting, but if it means getting to Mars, some astronauts might consider it worth the sacrifice. The question remains: could you handle recycling your own poop, surrounding yourself with it, and drinking water reclaimed from it? It’s a unique way to think about space travel, but it highlights the lengths we may need to go to in order to explore our solar system.
So, while the idea of using astronaut waste as insulation might not be the most glamorous solution, it’s certainly an innovative one. As Anthony concludes his video, he leaves the audience with a call to action: "let me know and subscribe for more D News poop." And with that, we’re reminded that even in the realm of space exploration, creativity knows no bounds—especially when it comes to solving problems like cosmic radiation.
Would you be willing to live a poop-centric lifestyle for the chance to travel to Mars? Let us know your thoughts!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enMars astronauts are going to protect themselves from deadly Cosmic radiation by covering their spaceship with their own poop which means maybe I'm not sad about never becoming an astronaut hey guys Anthony here for D news and you might have heard of the inspiration Mars Foundation recently this is a nonprofit organization started by billionaire Dennis Tito to send a private spacecraft on a mission to slingshot around Mars and one of the big announcements he made was that he was looking for a middle-aged married couple to man The Mission partially because they know how to get along and support one another in isolation and partially because all of the cosmic radiation somebody would be exposed to on the mission would likely sterilize them and a middle-aged couple would be Beyond reproductive age now cosmic rays are a huge concern in long-term space travel whether somebody's looking to have kids or not so how do you Shield your Intrepid explorers from cosmic radiation on a non profits budget easy you recycle the astronauts poop into insulation basically as the astronauts relieve themselves they fill large bags and those bags are then used to line the walls of the inside of the ship protecting them from radiation and making everyone feel crazy icky I would imagine it's actually a pretty ingenious system when you think about it all that waste piles up might as well be put to good use see the bags start off filled with drinking water and lining the walls of the ship and as the astronauts drink the bags get swiped from food storage to waste collection the waste bags get put back up on the walls and then over time recycle their contents into more clean drinking water okay it's nasty but it's cost efficient it's space efficient and it's honestly the best way to block radiation see water is better than metal or other materials at the job because it's the nuclei and molecules that block cosmic rays and water molecules are tiny just three small atoms and that means they contain more nuclei per volume than metal does and the water doesn't get radiated it just kind of deflects the energy and when all the bags are up the astronauts have this 40 cm thick liquid Shield a nasty nasty liquid Shield see one of the issues they still haven't worked out is how to deal with the sights and smells of being surrounded by your own waste as it breaks down into water which is like the first issue that I would want dealt with the team is testing more pleasant bags to add to the system like bags that grow algae for food or scrub carbon dioxide out of the air they're all designed to use natural processes instead of mechanical ones that would be more prone to failure because you do not want failure at 140 Million Miles Away although I might take a mechanical failure over one of those bags tearing when I'm trapped alone in a tiny capsule I don't know what do you think Space Cadets could you handle recycling poop surrounding yourself with poop drinking water reclaimed from poop basically basically living a poop Centric lifestyle if it meant that you got to go to Mars let me know and subscribe for more D news poop I didn't say it enoughMars astronauts are going to protect themselves from deadly Cosmic radiation by covering their spaceship with their own poop which means maybe I'm not sad about never becoming an astronaut hey guys Anthony here for D news and you might have heard of the inspiration Mars Foundation recently this is a nonprofit organization started by billionaire Dennis Tito to send a private spacecraft on a mission to slingshot around Mars and one of the big announcements he made was that he was looking for a middle-aged married couple to man The Mission partially because they know how to get along and support one another in isolation and partially because all of the cosmic radiation somebody would be exposed to on the mission would likely sterilize them and a middle-aged couple would be Beyond reproductive age now cosmic rays are a huge concern in long-term space travel whether somebody's looking to have kids or not so how do you Shield your Intrepid explorers from cosmic radiation on a non profits budget easy you recycle the astronauts poop into insulation basically as the astronauts relieve themselves they fill large bags and those bags are then used to line the walls of the inside of the ship protecting them from radiation and making everyone feel crazy icky I would imagine it's actually a pretty ingenious system when you think about it all that waste piles up might as well be put to good use see the bags start off filled with drinking water and lining the walls of the ship and as the astronauts drink the bags get swiped from food storage to waste collection the waste bags get put back up on the walls and then over time recycle their contents into more clean drinking water okay it's nasty but it's cost efficient it's space efficient and it's honestly the best way to block radiation see water is better than metal or other materials at the job because it's the nuclei and molecules that block cosmic rays and water molecules are tiny just three small atoms and that means they contain more nuclei per volume than metal does and the water doesn't get radiated it just kind of deflects the energy and when all the bags are up the astronauts have this 40 cm thick liquid Shield a nasty nasty liquid Shield see one of the issues they still haven't worked out is how to deal with the sights and smells of being surrounded by your own waste as it breaks down into water which is like the first issue that I would want dealt with the team is testing more pleasant bags to add to the system like bags that grow algae for food or scrub carbon dioxide out of the air they're all designed to use natural processes instead of mechanical ones that would be more prone to failure because you do not want failure at 140 Million Miles Away although I might take a mechanical failure over one of those bags tearing when I'm trapped alone in a tiny capsule I don't know what do you think Space Cadets could you handle recycling poop surrounding yourself with poop drinking water reclaimed from poop basically basically living a poop Centric lifestyle if it meant that you got to go to Mars let me know and subscribe for more D news poop I didn't say it enough\n"
