Long Term Space Flight

One of the main causes of change in the human body is space is the lack of gravity because the body no longer needs to support its weight [1]. This leads not only to muscle loss but the loss of bone tissue as well [1]. Experiments were conducted on rats and some rats lost one third of muscle in particular areas after only seven to ten days [2]. Another experiment found that bone at certain areas was dissolving around 1-2% a month in astronauts [2]. After longer periods, this can jeopardize missions if the astronauts do not have enough muscle or their bones are not strong enough to move safely [2]. In order to prevent muscle and bone loss, NASA is using osteoporosis drugs and exercise [1]. Exercises include an hour of cardio and an hour of weightlifting everyday [2]. The exercise sends signals to the body to build muscle and bone, which resulted in astronauts returning with around the same amount of bone that they had before the mission [1]. Even with exercise, many astronauts are fairly weak when they return, some having trouble to walk [2].

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.

Among all of the wildest things mankind has dreamed of, traveling among the stars has been among the top. Space travel has rightfully been romanticized into a fantastic voyage of discovery and adventure, but there is much more to it than what the movies show. Every detail must be considered when bringing space flight into reality, and that includes the dangers and how to safely dive into deep space.

As technology rapidly improves the reach that humanity has on the universe continues to expand. While the Appalachian Mountain range, was once a limiting factor for the inhabitants of America, it has now expanded to the unimaginable depths of space. Space is now the new frontier, and has been following the advancements in space travel and aeronautics stemming from the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Moving forward the question now remains as to whether we should continue to lead in furthering knowledge regarding space travel, or remained focused on an “Earth First” mentality. Space exploration is important because it helps create a society that refuses to stagnate as well as a building block for the future and advancing the sciences.

Space travel is becoming more commonly talked about and could affect future generations, but it is important to know the effects on one’s body during space travel in order to make adjustments for the future to ensure the safety of the astronauts. I am hypothesizing that if humans are exposed to the conditions of space for a prolonged period of time, then calcium levels will drop in the body and bone loss will occur. Calcium, along with other hormones, are important for maintaining strong bones.

The session opened with the former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Dr. Ed Stone on how space exploration has changed our view of the solar system and continued with discussions by Dr. Margie Kivelson, professor of Space Physics, and her involvement in the study and development of magnetometers in studying the moons of Jupiter with the Galileo spacecraft. Dr. Kevin Hand, the deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab spoke on connecting space exploration to the understanding of life on earth and the search for habitable worlds. Dr. Bethany Ehlmann, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, discussed her involvement in the Mars rover program and exploration of habitable worlds. Participants in the audience posed questions on environmental possibilities and consequences, the composition of matter on Earth and the importance of space exploration in terms of human

The current (2016) record holder for the longest continuous spaceflight is Valeri Polyakov at 438 days, or 14 months [1]. The purpose of this mission was to test the effect of micro-gravity environments similar to those on a journey to mars. Upon Polyakov’s return, his physical and overall mental condition were deemed stable. Due to acclimation times, it was plausible that a 3 year mission to mars would have no hazardous mental effects upon crew [2].

Humans have sailed the roughest of the seven seas and scaled the highest of mountains on Earth. Dubbed as “the final frontier” colloquially and by the popular science fiction movie series Star Trek, space and our colonization of extraterrestrial bodies are accepted as the next challenges in our natural progression of exploration as a species. In a 1983 lecture titled Our Future In The Cosmos — Space given at The College of William & Mary, writer and professor Isaac Asimov candidly states: “Unless we are willing to settle down into a world that is our prison, we must be ready to move beyond Earth.”

The scientifically accurate sci-fi paper will be a log of the journey of a couple on a one way trip to mars. The two know full well they may not return and are dealing with the ramifications of their decision to make the trip. They will be the first to land on and colonize the planet and the log will explore some of the logistics of their trip including space habitability and radiation exposure. The two will experience both the physical and metal effects of long term space flight as well as some of the methods to combat it. The log chronicles their journey to Mars and the effects of long term space flight.

There are some bones that need to bear weight in order to stay strong. In a weightless environment, it can be tough to accomplish this task especially since astronauts spend a great deal of time floating while in space. The legs and spine become especially susceptible to this problem. They leach calcium and become very weak in a process called “disuse osteoporosis” (Yasmin, 2015). Studies have shown that astronauts can lose anywhere from one to two percent of bone mass per month. One study showed astronauts losing as much as 20 percent of the bodies bone mass. Individuals who lose this much bone mass are said to be a high fracture risk. This type of physiological effect is reversible, however, the time it takes to implement a steady diet, and allowing the body to recover the lost bone mineral and density possess a

Introduction: Long duration human space flight missions are next big thing in space that have capture our imagination for years. Highly sustainable habitats are necessary to support long duration human space flight missions as it impractical to re-supply logistics (Shaw and Weck, 2014). At the time when national space policies have given top priority to human space flight missions, study of closed loop habitats are essential. Thus, it is essential to review development in this area and discuss various issues related to political, technical, engineering, economic aspects of closed loop life support systems.

For my sci-fi paper, the main technology and science concept that is going to be explained is the effect of long term space flight. According to my idea of composition of the science fiction story, I am going to write about a team of astronauts who fly to the outer solar system and try to find a planet that might have lives besides the Earth. Obviously, they will have lots of difficulties. At the very beginning, they will need to fly through the solar systems. They will probably meet different space weathers and some of them may have damage on the space flights. After group work, they finally get out of the solar system and continue their long trip. It is sure that they cannot bring all the food they need for the trip from the Earth. For this

Space is unimaginably vast, and the problems keeping humans from mastering the exploration of and colonization of space is equally daunting. Impressive advances have been made within the past century, and dedicated efforts to make equally impressive strides in the next hundred years are in place. Space research will not yield resutls overnight, but the information obtained along the way will have a positive impact throughout the scientific community and the world's population in turn. With a goal of extraplanetary habitation, humans can prepare protective measures for neutralizing danger and managing resources underwater, in space, and on land, domestic and alien. The scientific and cultural unity required to reach this goal

In 1954 we began sending objects into space. Since then, explorers have gone to the moon, robots to Mars, and probes beyond the reaches of our solar system. Human exploration of space continues as we develop new technologies and improve those that already exist. While we explore farther into space we will need to spend an increased duration of time in this unusual, hostile, weightless environment rich with higher levels of radiation.

As a country we need to start investing more money and research into space technology. Programs currently exist for this effort, but the potential for research and progress is limited by a lack of funding; compared to other government funded programs, aerospace funding is pitiful. Continued research in space technology is a necessary step in our growth and development not just as a country but also as entire human race. If we are to achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase funding for space research and technology and consider the possibility of colonizing outer space. If we limit our existence to the planet Earth, and continue to drain the resources on this planet, we will destroy the only home we have.