Nasa believes it may also be possible to manipulate astronauts’ genes to boost their resilience to radiation

Nasa is looking at ways of manipulating the DNA of its Mars astronauts to protect them from cosmic radiation, its head of technology has said.

The US space agency plans to launch its first manned mission to the planet in the 2030s but still has to overcome challenges at the limits of modern science. Sparing the crew from the effects of the high-energy particles that will pepper their bodies will be one of the hardest.

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Douglas Terrier, Nasa’s acting chief technologist, said that the organisation was investigating drugs that might repair the damage to DNA, and was open to the possibility of tweaking genetic activity or altering genes.

Speaking to The Times before his appearance at a Codex innovation summit in London, Dr Terrier said