So you want to be an astronaut?
Well I hope you have good health insurance!
Hi there spacewalking hopefuls!
I’m Ian for DNews: Now….Space is a horrible, horrible place.
As soon as humans exit the lovely, snug atmosphere of Earth, the cosmos is out to kill us.
I’m not kidding; there’s radiation from the sun, cosmic rays from distant supernovas
and even chunks of space debris traveling faster than a speeding bullet!
These killers are a very real threat to astronauts in space, but they’re only the tip of the
iceberg.
After spending a record-breaking one year in space, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly reported
some rather uncomfortable issues with his prolonged exposure to the microgravity environment
onboard the International Space Station.
Interestingly, when he landed on Earth in March, Kelly was one and a half inches taller
than when he was when he launched into orbit.
The lack of Earth’s gravity caused his spine to expand, which quickly got squashed again
after landing.
And this underscores an astronaut’s biggest problem in space: Gravity.
Or the lack of it.
Kelly complained of muscle pain; his eyesight was temporarily altered and his skin became
ultra-sensitive after he landed.
Immediately after reaching Earth, his blood pressure dropped -- his heart wasn’t used
to pumping in a gravitational environment, so dizziness and temporary loss of balance
were obvious concerns.
There’s always a period of adjustment to Earth gravity after being in space, but Kelly’s
mission was longer than most and some of his health issues persisted.
Kelly’s one-year stint on the space station wasn’t designed to torture the veteran astronaut,
however.
It was an experiment to see how the human body changes in space.
And Kelly was a special case; he had a twin brother, Mark, on Earth to act as his terrestrial
control.
During his orbital stay, Kelly participated in a range of tests and had to engage in vigorous
exercise for 2 hours a day that all astronauts and cosmonauts have to endure to stave off
the effects of muscle atrophy.
Bone wastage, that is common in osteoporosis patients on Earth, is also an issue for astronauts.
To combat it, many take the drug bisphosphonate to counter the effects of bone loss.
They also take supplements like calcium and vitamin D, but the most effective counter
to bone and muscle loss is lots and lots of exercise.
The future of space exploration will likely spawn a whole new sector in the pharmaceutical
market.
If astronauts have problems sleeping (which is a common complaint while strapped to your
bed while speeding above Earth at over 17 THOUSAND miles per hour), they can drop a
sleeping pill.
Feeling tired?
Drop a Modafinil which, according to a 2009 Canadian Medical Association Journal report,
“is available to crew to optimize performance while fatigued.”
Say if a crewmate starts acting erratic and becomes a danger to the rest of the crew?
Well, that’s why there are tranquilizers on board…. and duct tape.
I’m not kidding.
So, medically-speaking, we’re still trying to figure this space thing out.
Our bodies are used to a gravitational environment with a 24-hour circadian cycle, not a microgravity
environment with a 90-minute orbital cycle, so there’s bound to be some problems.
But all these problems have surfaced while we live only a couple of hundred miles above
Earth -- how the heck are we going to deal with the health issues facing us when we finally
send astronauts to Mars?
During that long trip to Mars, our intrepid explorers will be bathed in radiation from
high-energy particles from the sun and deep space in the form of cosmic rays.
When going to Mars, we’ll need spaceships equipped with some novel radiation shielding,
but even then they’ll likely encounter a variety of unaccounted-for space radiation-related
cancers.
So, would I still want to be an astronaut?
Actually, yes.
Humanity is really good at pushing the envelope and discovering new things about our universe.
The next big step is to see humanity on Mars and though it’s going to be a challenge,
I think we’ll persevere, develop some really strong space drugs and eventually become a
true space-faring civilization.
To maintain muscle mass and strength, astronauts have some pretty cool machines to work out
with, check out Lizette’s space fitness video to find
out more!
Knowing that a mission to Mars could kill you, would you still want to go?
Tell us in the comments section down below and don’t forget click subscribe for new
episodes every day.
I’ll see you next time on DNews.