What persistent threat poses significant cancer risks to long-term asteroid residents?
Answer
Unfiltered solar and galactic cosmic rays
Radiation exposure represents the most immediate and persistent physical hazard facing long-term human settlement outside of Earth's protective magnetic field and atmosphere. Both solar radiation and galactic cosmic rays penetrate space unimpeded. Exposure to these high-energy particles significantly increases the risk of cancer in biological systems and causes generalized damage over extended periods. Because of this non-negotiable threat, the consensus points toward burrowing deep into the asteroid mass as the primary, non-negotiable mitigation strategy, relying on meters of rock shielding to absorb the radiation.
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