The idea of traveling to space seems appealing. Many of us dreamed of becoming astronauts - or even the first people on Mars, some in childhood, and some still. Who wouldn't want to reach for the stars? And yet, there are several facts that can make us change our minds, or at least think. It turns out that space is not only difficult and inconvenient, it is also unpleasant. Here are ten nasty facts about space travel that you might need to prepare well for.
NASA doesn't know what to do with astronauts killed in space
NASA has no clear plans for what to do with the bodies of astronauts who die in space. In fact, NASA does not expect astronauts to die in space at all, so it does not indicate how to proceed in the event of a colleague's death. But what happens if an astronaut dies in space? After all, this is quite possible, especially in the case of a long mission, for example, to Mars.
One option is to send the body into space. But this option is not suitable because the UN prohibits the dumping of debris (including bodies) into space due to concerns that it could collide with spacecraft or contaminate other planets. Another option is to keep the body inside the spacecraft and incinerate it upon return to Earth. Again, this option is not suitable: it could endanger the lives of other astronauts. One last option: if humans ever colonize Mars, the body can be used as fertilizer. True, the question remains whether humans can really be a good fertilizer.
NASA is currently working with the funeral company Promesse, which is developing Body Back. The corpse will be sealed in an airtight sleeping bag and attached to the outside of the spacecraft, where it will be exposed to the coldness of space. The body will freeze, vibrate and shatter into many small particles as it moves through space. By the time he returns to Earth, only tiny dust particles will remain from the astronaut's body.
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Astronauts drink recycled urine
Access to fresh fresh water in space can be problematic. American astronauts on the International Space Station get most of their water from recycling and recovery in a system unveiled in 2009. As the name suggests, the Water Recovery System allows astronauts to recover most of the fluid they lose in the form of sweat and urine while shaving or making coffee.
American astronauts don't just recycle their own urine. They also dispose of the astronauts' urine because the Russians refused to drink such water. Recycled water tastes the same as bottled water, says Lane Carter, water manager for the ISS.
Astronauts lose muscle and bone mass and age prematurely
The microgravity conditions in space lead astronauts to premature aging. The skin ages faster, becomes thinner and drier, and begins to itch. Bones and muscles also weaken. Astronauts lose 1% of muscle mass and 2% of bone mass every month they spend in space. During the four to six months stay on the International Space Station, the loss is about 11% of the mass of the femur.
Even the arteries are affected. They become tougher, which threatens heart attacks and strokes in astronauts. Canadian Robert Thersk suffered from weakness, brittle bones and balance problems after spending six months in space. He said that upon returning to Earth, he felt like an old man. Premature aging is now seen as one of the side effects of space travel. And one cannot hide from him, although astronauts can reduce the effect by exercising for several hours a day.
Space travel can render fruitless
There are speculations that long-term space missions make astronauts sterile. In one experiment, male rats were suspended from the floor for six weeks, mimicking the weightlessness of outer space, causing their testes to decrease as well as their sperm count, effectively dictating infertility. Female rats suffered a similar or worse fate when sent into space. The rat's ovaries stopped working after 15 days. By the time it returned to Earth, the gene responsible for the production of estrogen was running out of steam, and the cells that produce eggs were dying.
Space travel has also been linked to loss of libido. In one experiment, two male and five female mice sent into space refused to mate. However, some scientists insist that space has nothing to do with libido or infertility. Eggs of fish and frogs, sent into space, were able to fertilize, although the offspring of frogs remained in the tadpole phase. Male astronauts also conceived children to their wives a few days after returning to Earth.
The situation is similar with women. They also became pregnant shortly after returning from space missions, although they had a higher chance of miscarriage. The impact of space travel on reproduction remains controversial and, for obvious reasons, is very hard to study. NASA has scrapped attempts to count the sperm count of astronauts returning from space for privacy reasons.
Most astronauts get sick in space
Despite advances in space exploration, "space sickness" remains a headache for NASA. More than half of all astronauts sent into space experience nausea, headache, vomiting, and general discomfort. These are all causes of space sickness, also called space adaptation syndrome. Famous astronauts who have experienced space sickness include Jake Garn, who experienced symptoms even before leaving Earth. When he returned, he could barely walk.
Garn's space sickness was so bad that his name became an informal scale for measuring the degree of illness. Astronauts assess the severity of their suffering with phrases like “one garn,” “two garn,” “three garn,” and so on. While NASA is looking for a solution to the issue of space sickness, the agency's engineers have created an early warning device if astronauts feel bad in space.
All astronauts wear diapers
NASA missed something in the design of the first spacesuit. It turned out that scientists forgot that astronauts may need to go to the toilet in a spacesuit. This omission led to Alan Shepard, the first American in space, to go right under him while in a spacesuit. And this happened only after permission, as NASA scientists feared that urine could lead to a short circuit of the electrical components of the spacesuit.
To prevent such scenarios from occurring in future missions, NASA came up with a condom-like device that astronauts wore completely in a spacesuit. For obvious reasons, when American women went into space in the 1970s, they got into trouble, so the agency had to develop a urine and feces distribution system called DACT. DACT was used by people of both sexes, although it was made specifically for women.
In 1988, NASA replaced DACT with MAG, essentially a diaper for adults, similar to shorts. Each astronaut is given three such MAGs for each mission. One is worn during a spacewalk, one upon return, and a third just in case.
In space you have to masturbate
Astronauts are always at risk of urinary tract inflammation and other diseases while in space. Men are more likely to end up with prostatitis and women are more likely to get a urinary tract infection. From 1981 to 1998, 23 of the 508 NASA astronauts sent into space experienced urinary problems. Although these statistics indicate that genitourinary diseases affect only a small percentage of astronauts, it will not be possible to turn a blind eye to these problems, since they could lead to the termination of space flight.
The Soviet Union found this out in the most decisive way when, in 1985, cosmonaut Vladimir Vasyutin had to return to Earth just two of the planned six months. Vladimir suffered from severe prostatitis, which caused fever, nausea, and severe pain when urinating.
Marjorie Jenkins, NASA's medical adviser, made it clear that prostatitis could be one of the consequences of decreased ejaculation. When men don't ejaculate often enough, bacteria can build up in the prostate gland and cause infection.
It is unknown if astronauts will have to masturbate during space flights, but that doesn't mean they didn't. One Russian cosmonaut once admitted to "having sex with his hand" while in space. In 2012, astronaut Ron Garan revealed on Reddit that astronauts do get some "free time" on the International Space Station. When asked to clarify, he said: "I can only speak for myself, but we are professionals."
There is no first aid in space
NASA doesn't have any sophisticated medical equipment aboard a spacecraft or even the ISS. All there is is drugs and basic first aid equipment. Astronauts are not treated with anything other than a patch and a plantain with pain reliever. What if the astronaut becomes very ill or even needs surgery?
When this happens, NASA demands that the astronaut be sent back to Earth. NASA has an agreement with Roscosmos, according to which emergency "Soyuz" are launched to rescue sick astronauts from the ISS. In addition to the sick astronauts, the rocket will return with two more astronauts, since a crew of three is needed. Such a trip will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the critically ill astronaut may not even survive the trip.
If NASA is going through all this just to retrieve a sick astronaut from the "nearest" ISS, what happens when the astronaut needs help on the way to Mars? The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is funding several agencies that are creating unique medical equipment that can cope with serious diseases like heart attacks and appendicitis in space.
Medicines in space are less effective
We just mentioned that medical care available to astronauts in space qualifies as first aid. Even so, most of the drugs available are not as effective as on Earth. In one study, researchers equipped the first eight kits with 35 different drugs, including sleeping pills and antibiotics. Four first aid kits were sent to the International Space Station, and the other four were stored in a special chamber at the Space Center. Johnson in Houston.
After 28 months, the drugs sent to the ISS turned out to be less effective than those stored at the space center. Six drugs were also found to have melted or discolored. Scientists believe the loss is effectively related to the excess vibration and radiation that drugs encounter in outer space. NASA has now mitigated the severity of the problem by supplying fresh drugs to the ISS every six months. In the future, astronauts will be given all the necessary ingredients for the production of drugs in space.
Carbon dioxide poisoning can be a problem
The concentration of carbon dioxide on the ISS has been increased. On Earth, the concentration of CO2 is about 0.3 mm Hg. Art., but can reach 6 mm Hg. Art. on the ISS. Unfavorable side effects such as headaches, irritation and sleep problems, which have become the norm among astronauts, are just a few of the consequences of increased carbon dioxide concentrations. In fact, most astronauts complain of headaches at the start of their missions.
Unlike Earth, where carbon dioxide escaping from the body is dispersed in the air, the gas exhaled by astronauts forms a cloud over their heads. There are special fans aboard the ISS that blow out these clouds and scatter them around the object. But the gas concentration still exceeds the recommended one. Let's hope that by the time humans are sent to Mars, a solution will be found.
Ilya Khel