Essay on Human Factors in Long-Duration Spaceflight

My science fiction paper will describe the struggles and accomplishments of a future mission to mars with the goal of producing a habitable base on the surface for extended stay and experimentation, written in a series of journal entries by the crew. The mission will be a long term journey, having used research to compensate for the effects of space travel on the human body to allow for a longer term residence, spurred by the growing involvement of private industry growth in space travel. As this mission will be primarily based on taking scientific research, the major concepts addressed throughout the logs will be blackbodies, coronal mass ejections, magnetospheres, electromagnetic propulsion, solar sails, the Hohmann transfer, the Martian atmosphere, Martian poles, and the health effects of microgravity. The following research paper will address the latter concept, microgravity health effects, in order to accurately depict the travel conditions of the crew members.

In the year 2025, the United States is prepared to finally send humans to Mars. The spacecraft, named Oasis, carries with it human passengers and the means to set up a potential colony. Years of research have identified many threats that the colonists will have to face on their journey, as well as efficient ways to neutralize them. However, as is often the case with voyages such as this, not everything goes according to plan. The passengers must rely on their quick wits, as well as knowledge of the effects of microgravity on the human body and the potential dangers of space radiation to survive the journey. However, another threat looms. Even if the astronauts can survive the dangers of the cosmos, can they deal with the psychological threat of being trapped in space?

It’s cold up there. Cold and inhospitable. It is not easy, and it will take time. These are things the first humans in Africa must have thought of journeys northward. And yet, people still went. They colonized the globe in all its varied environments. When humans first bred dogs and horses, they did not do so to send them into unexplored land in our steed. We did not build crow’s nests on ships to observe and not go. Why is even a question whether humans should go to space? Space is the final frontier that the universe has to offer, and humanity would be remiss not to explore it with their own hands. It’s important to frame the debate. Succinctly, should

In this argumentative essay, I will discuss how the manned mission to Mars is being planned and its specifications. Furthermore, how the mission, if executed successfully, will be mankind’s greatest accomplishment yet. However, I will attempt to prove that this mission will inevitably fail due to the unready team and its defective circumstances.

Space is one of the most researched and government funded fields internationally. Globally, researchers have been attempting to discover more about the universe far before Sputnik was launched on October 4, 1957. NASA has launched over 100 flights to space, but one of the most recent flights is Expedition 47. This team has gone to microgravity to investigate spaceflight’s effect on the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurovestibular systems in the human body. The crew members are also trying to discover how to make the workout equipment more practical and create more room for future space crews during long-duration missions. The Expedition 47 began on March 1, 2016 and will end on June 5, 2016. This three month long research expedition

Missions to space pose a great risk on astronauts. Space exploration risks human life. Staying in a spacecraft is not easy, the conditions are harsh, and making the survival during space travel is a challenge. The effects of radiation on the body and bone loss are all a risk that you must take to go and explore in space. According to the website NASA, “The human body is

How long would a “long term” space flight be? According to our records, the longest that human has been off Earth is almost 438 days, and it is the mission operated by Russian space station Mir. (Beings not Made for Space, Kenneth Chang, 2014) Long-term space flight requests that astronauts have to be exposed to the real space environment, which includes microgravity, the significant increase in radiation, variation in temperature and space view. The major impacts that I will be talking about are microgravity and space radiation. Due to these changes of space environment from that of the Earth, astronauts will face the changes on their body and health, some of the changes would be negative. For example, astronauts will see the significant changes in their body; their whole bodies will expand, the mass of their bones and muscles would lose, and some of them might have farsighted eyes. There will also be increase in risk of Alzheimer’s disease, damage in immune system and destroys of microbiomes. To build a better space environment, scientists have been working hard to find out what is causing the health issues and ways to solve them. They have done well-known researches such as “Twins Study” between Mark and Kelly Scott. The latest technology that involved is called artificial gravity; it is considered desirable for long-term space flight as well as human habitat in space.

Surviving in space and on another planet for a long span of time is a difficult task to accomplish. Humans require quite a bit of upkeep to stay alive, and when confined to small space shuttle it is difficult to provide all the necessities to survive. For the trip to another planet astronauts have to live in the space shuttle for a long duration. Strategies must be developed to maintain a livable habitat in the shuttle, and also when the astronauts reach the planet they will have to survive on the planet for a long period of time. There are many obstacles in the path of achieving habitability in space and on another planet.

One of the major obstacles standing in the way of humans reaching Mars is the massive amount of space radiation that astronauts would encounter. According to NASA science writer Sarah Frazier, strategies for dealing with this radiation already exist, and more are continually being investigated. Many of the prevailing methods of dealing with radiation

Some of the astronauts experienced visual impairment as well. Overall, Strickland (2017) indicates in the article that the overall findings suggest long-term space flights cause an increase in cerebrospinal fluid, narrowing of the central sulcus, and an upward shift of the brain. However, further research must be done to determine the duration and significance of these changes. This research on the brains of astronauts is crucial because as humans grow more and more technologically advanced and plan for further space exploration and possible colonization of other planets, it is important to understand the possible effects space flight can have on our brains and bodies.

We’ve all heard about the rigorous mental and physical tests that astronaut candidates must go through in order to be considered to be sent into space; but what is the methodology behind them? What most laymen’s’ overlook when they think ‘Astronaut’ is the extreme physical and mental taxation that is associated with space flight. Astronauts will have to endure long-term isolation, monotony, limited mobility and close living quarters amongst each other for months and potentially years at a time. This can lead to many health issues; the sanitary conditions of the spacecraft must be impeccable. Mentally, these extenuating circumstances can lead to depression,

It is imperative that society resume manned exploration of space. Not only do these missions provide more accurate results, they also provide more detailed results. As Americans, the call of exploration reaches out in desperation to those aspiring explorers who will courageously lead the U.S. space program in a new direction. Overall manned exploration provides an opportunity to learn more about how earth came to be and sets a goal for human

At the moment, astronauts’ next goal in manned missions is to try to figure out the most efficient and safe way in succeeding in a manned mission to Mars. However, in order to achieve such a mission, astronauts must completely understand the additional perils that accompany adventures into space of the length that would be required for such a trip. With experiments that have been completed and are in the process of being done, scientists are able to better understand the many risks that contribute to the danger of such prolonged missions, in hope of finding solutions that will make a mission to Mars possible. Although there are many risks that a human will take when remaining in space for such a long period of time, this paper will

The military provides the experience and discipline astronaut

Health is one of biggest factors that should be considered before setting off on space exploration projects. Many institutes and researchers have witnessed many achievements that have been beneficial for not just improving technologically but also medical advancements. Going into space has helped the United States improve technology, which has paved a way into new medical advances. The