At the Institute of Space Medicine, volunteers rehearse a flight to an Earth satellite.
The first and main question is why ?
Why torture young people by putting them to bed for days? Why invent new equipment for such experiments? After all, the Americans flew to the moon - six crews. Twelve people kicked up the gray dust with rubberized boots. And that was almost fifty years ago.
We flew off and returned safely. This means that you can get to the satellite. And work on it too.
- Well, not quite so … - says academician Viktor Mikhailovich Baranov, director of the Research Institute of Space Medicine of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency. - The Americans spent a maximum of three days on the moon. And our task is to build a base. So that people can work normally on it and not lose health.
This means that you need to find out what problems those who will work on the moon will face and give recommendations on how to avoid them.
So it seems that after the flight of the Americans it is clear …
- The fact of the matter is that no! Most of the astronauts who have visited the Moon have died from cardiovascular diseases, from atherosclerosis. Although, it would seem, they should have had oncology - they also received a solid dose of radiation during the flight.
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So death from cardiovascular diseases is the most common …
- Dr. Delp compared the reasons for the death of astronauts who were unlucky - they did not fly into space, those who worked only in low-earth orbit and astronauts who participated in the Apollo program - flew to the Moon. So among those who were on lunar expeditions, even if they did not land on a satellite, but simply were in a ship that flies around the moon, mortality from cardiovascular diseases is 5 times higher than that of other astronauts - both who flew and did not fly …
And what does it mean?
- And the fact that even a short flight to the moon can cause changes in the body that disrupt the production of cholesterol. Well, he, in turn, affects the work of blood vessels.
In general, half a century has passed, and doctors cannot guarantee the effective work of astronauts on the same Moon or on Mars.
- There are several hazards. This is also radiation. And on the Moon, it is higher due to the fact that cosmic rays are reflected from the surface, knock out certain particles from the soil and a person is, as it were, irradiated twice, - Academician Baranov enumerates. - This is the absence of a magnetic field. On Earth, it protects us. And less gravity. And she, too, is unusual for a person - I did not calculate, fell - you can damage the spacesuit, for example. And the need to live for a long time in a confined and very small volume - the astronauts will not be taken to the moon in the ISS modules. And the lunar ships are small. If four cosmonauts fly in the Federation (a promising Russian spacecraft for flights to the ISS and for interplanetary flights - Ed.), There will be no room for anything at all. And if there are two, then at least there is a chance to squeeze in an exercise bike so that you can keep fit. Plus moon dust - regolith. It is known that she sat on the space suits of astronauts and it was very difficult to "kick" her out of the ship. She caused allergies, her eyes were watery. So before sending new expeditions to the moon, you need to figure out how, if not completely exclude the negative influence of these factors, then at least reduce them to a minimum.
9.6 degree angle
And here in Moscow, on Gamaleya Street, named, by the way, in honor of one of the founders of Russian microbiology, at the Research Institute of Space Medicine, several guys lie on beds tilted at an angle of 9.6 degrees for a week - they don't even seem to lie, but half-standing, if that's possible put it.
“We calculated that such a tilt approximately reproduces the effect on the body that will be on the Moon, where the force of gravity is six times less than on Earth,” explains academician Baranov.
For 16 hours, the testers recline, and for eight hours on a stand specially designed for the experiment, the mattress is turned into a normal state - horizontal. You can only get up to the toilet.
It is clear that radiation and the absence of a magnetic field cannot be reproduced on Gamaleya Street. But it is possible and necessary to try to figure out how the lunar gravity will affect the body.
One flight - one disease
Engineers have long said: man is the most complex system in a spaceship. Even doing physical exercise for 2.5 hours a day after six months of work on the ISS, the crews return not in their best physical shape. Legs give way, it does not come out to accurately determine the coordinates of objects. In the first days after the flight, astronauts "catch the corners" of tables and earn bruises. And during the Martian expedition, just about the 200th day, the ship should fly to the Red Planet. We'll have to work a lot in a spacesuit. And if we manage to make the means of landing on Mars and taking off from it, then we can travel along the surface of the planet. How to keep working?
- Among those who fly to the ISS today, there is such an account: one long expedition - one serious illness. We pay for flights with our health,”one of the experienced Russian cosmonauts who had worked at the station several times told me the other day.
- Is it so? - I ask Baranov.
He gently avoids the answer (which, however, I assumed):
- Well, you understand that there are no absolutely healthy people. Moreover, the age of those who fly into space has grown significantly. The first squad of cosmonauts mainly recruited young lieutenants. Gagarin flew when he was 27, Titov - at 25. And now the crews are mostly over 40. There are also 50-year-olds. Although, of course, flight even in low-earth orbit significantly affects health.
And still?
- We can say that some changes are taking place. For example, in the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Viktor Mikhailovich talks about an experiment that is currently underway on the ISS. Dried cells were placed in different compartments of the station in order to check how they are affected by cosmic radiation. And in different modules it is different (they are protected from radiation in a different way). When cells began to be delivered from orbit and studied DNA, it turned out that the percentage of damage coincides with the level of radiation - where it is more, there is more damage.
- There was another experiment - our Mikhail Kornienko and the American Scott Kelly lived on the ISS for a year, - recalls Baranov. - And on earth at this time, scientists studied the health of Scott's twin - Mark Kelly, also an astronaut. So it turned out that during the flight, Scott changed about 7 percent of his DNA!
And this despite the fact that the ISS flies not very far from the surface of our planet - at an altitude of 400 kilometers and it is protected by the Earth's magnetic belt. And to the Moon and Mars will need to fly through space, permeated by dangerous cosmic rays.
In general, there is still a lot to find out before arranging the work of the first lunar base and equipping a manned expedition to the Red Planet. And in doing so, ensure that the crews return healthy.
BTW
Three questions about space testers
How to become a tester and participate in the experiment of the institute?
- Anyone can contact the Institute of Space Medicine at Moscow st. Gamalei, 23, bldg. 2. To become a prover, you must pass a medical examination and be at least 18 and not older than 35 years.
How much are testers paid?
- Conditions are negotiable. When I took part in the Institute of Biomedical Problems experiment 20 years ago as a tester, I was paid $ 50 a day. Now, as I was told, the tester at the Institute of Space Medicine is getting a higher daily allowance.
Are the subjects' health monitored after they have participated in the experiment?
- Definitely.
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I stripped and put on white cotton underpants and a sweatshirt.
- Now thread your left leg … Right! Turn your hands back! Do not touch the insulation, you will tear it,”tough guys from the Energia rocket and space corporation led me. - Pull your head into your shoulders and dive! In order for the receptacle of thoughts to be inside the helmet, you need to somehow contrive, shrink and dive under the rim of the structure. Finally I am in the Sokol KV-2 flight suit. The one in which the astronauts go into orbit.
ALEXANDER MILKUS