Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2018

PLANETOLOGY 5 H uman beings will eventually colonize the Moon and Mars. Before this hap- pens, effective solutions must be found to the two main threats putting at risk the safety of those who, even for rela- tively short periods of time, will live within lunar and martian bases. These two threats are harmful solar radiation and meteorite tian skylights, ves MAY-JUNE 2018 E SA astronauts training in lava tubes in Lanzarote. The first extrater- restrial bases will perhaps be installed in environments similar to this one. [ESA/S. Sechi] bombardment. As we all know, the Moon is practically devoid of atmosphere, while the atmosphere of Mars is extremely rarefied to the point that the pressure at the surface is just 0.6% that at Earth’s surface. Without an adequate atmosphere, the Sun’s ultravi- olet and X-ray radiation are alone more than enough, both on the Moon and Mars,