Scott J. Kelly, right, in 2011 with the
Russian astronauts Oleg Skripochka, left, and Aleksandr Kaleri after six
months aboard the International Space Station.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
8 comments:
Angela
said...
This is a very interesting article. As they mentioned, humans were definitely not made to live in space. This article was interesting because it gave a little insight on some of the conditions and ways to solve them of being in space. These conditions seem rather minor, but it could affect people in the long run. However, people have long planned to try and colonize the moon and this information could squash the hope that some have held for many years. I do not think that we could completely change the human race, but wouldn't humans be able to adapt to life in space? The only shortcomings would be that it would take a very long time to adapt and we on earth would still have to send out provisions. Though space may seem like a whole different world, and there are some problems we will have to overcome, wouldn't we be able to adapt? In class, I am researching arthropods, and they were the first animals to crawl out of the water. To them, land was a whole different world, but they could adapt. From a different perspective, however, one could say that humans just weren't meant for space. Humans and all other living things that we know of after investigating for 57 years were placed on earth, so maybe space wasn't meant to be. The article mentioned that Dr. Valery Polyakov lived off of earth for 438 days, an extremely long time. However, when I researched him, a number of articles said that Sergei Krikalev actually set the record at 803 days in space. One article said that after his flight, he needed smelling salts and his legs were wobbly. Could this be like sea-legs, or could this be a hint of lasting effects? Something that interested me was they issue of lessened eye vision. Being in space requires concentration. It is very likely that a disaster will happen. With far-sighted vision, it would be very difficult to focus, and my cause catastrophe. Overall, this was a very interesting article and it is important to all of us.
It's kind of strange to think that when you were little, you had dreams of going to space and floating around in the air. After reading this article, I learned that space is not all fun and games. I am actually kind of surprised that the eyeballs get squished. After hearing that the water in the human body floats around in space, I would think that the eye might swell up, not become squished. Also, the article did say that these effects were present in humans. Would they be the same in animals? I think that they should try and send some different animals into space, and compare what happens to them to what happens to humans. Also, the article mentioned that the effects of space cause farsightedness. Is it possible for astronauts to bring prescribed glasses into space, in case this happens? Or would the doctors need to make a prescription after signs of farsightedness occur? (Forgive me if the answer to this question is obvious. I do not know much about glasses.) In conclusion, this article was really cool, and this topic could benifit humans in the future, and lead us to easier space travel.
I think that this article is very interesting. I never would have guested that bones in people's bodies would shrink. I also never would have guested that vision could get changed in outer space. I think that this is very scary. The article mentioned that in 2030 they were planing to send humans up to mars. I do not know how they are going to do this because it is very cold on mars. If they are able to send humans up to mars then we might be able to figure out if there was ever life on the planet. I give this article a 7.
I thought this article was very interesting! This could determine our future in space. Learning about our problems definitely helps us fix them. I thought what Angela said was very interesting. I think that humans probably could adapt but are not willing to take that change. While there were many complications, the one that struck me most was the fact that astronauts receive more radiation and increased levels of the acid, which causes cardiovascular disease (heart/blood vessel disease). First of all, radiation can cause many diseases including cancer, leukemia, thyroid disease etc. However, radiation can’t get through led, can it? While led would definitely be impractical to wear all of the time on earth, in space without gravity, would a led suit feel lighter or would it feel the same weight? Would radiation still come through the suit? Therefore, I think this is a great article that could potentially lead us to fix our problems for an extraterrestrial future.
To answer Christina's question about radiation, radiation can't really get through lead. However, I recall learning some time ago that you need 3 feet of lead or 10 feet of concrete to turn away gamma rays. Yet in doctor or dentist visits, you only need a thin-ish lead suit to repel x-rays. So really, it depends on what kind of radiation you are exposed to. That could be a very interesting thing to investigate.
Wow! This article is really informative and exceedingly interesting. So many astronauts’ lives and health depend on medical research. In my life, I deal with such small worries, every day little difficulties. Will I play well at soccer practice? How am I going to make the bus? Why does my brother always get his way? Small, insignificant matters. It is astonishing to me, and hard to grasp, the dangers and difficulties astronauts willingly face. They must be so courageous and so determined. There are a myriad of things that could go wrong on a space flight, exacerbated by the additional risk of medical problems. As the article said, in space astronauts might suffer from eating and sleeping problems. Their eyes might become kind-of squeezed as well, and lead them with worse eyesight, which the article mentioned might lead to other health issues. The article also said that astronauts are exposed to more radiation, which increases the odds of getting cancer. In addition, Dr. Smith also said that, if astronauts’ eyes are squeezed, it might cause higher amounts of homocysteine, which “might be a marker for cardiovascular disease.” With so many known dangers, and other undiscovered ones possibly lurking nearby, astronauts have so many things to worry about. I admire them for their bravery. While I was reading this article, I started to think about a few deceased famous astronauts. I would like to research them, and figure out how they died, of what cause, and how old they were when they passed away. I want to see if any of them might have died from medical issues that may have possibly been related to space flight.
Earlier, I mentioned that I planned to research the lives of famous astronauts, and now I would like to post what I found. For the most part, my results were inconclusive. In total, I research four astronauts. Sally Ride was the first one I researched. Sally Ride, a successful Stanford University graduate, was a brave, determined, and intelligent astronaut. She earned a place in NASA’s astronaut program over 1,000 other people who applied. She had a Ph.D degree in physics, and in 1983 became the first American women ever to go into space. In all, she ventured on two different journeys to space, and was an overall successful individual. In 2001, she even made her own company and created academic products that she hoped would help girls be able to study more science and math. In addition, she received honors, such as the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She also made it into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronauts Hall of Fame. Sadly, Sally Ride died at the young age of 61, due to pancreatic cancer. As the article mentioned, astronauts are exposed to more radiation, which would increase the risk of cancer. Whether increased exposure to radiation was the cause of Sally Ride’s early death, nobody can know for sure. The second and third astronauts I researched, however, did not die of medical causes. Gus Grissom and Edward H. White were both unlucky enough to be killed in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire at the launch pad test. They were at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida when they were killed. Gus Grissom was 41 years old, and had a wife and two children. He was very successful, and had received an Air Medal, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Distinguished Service Medal. He was one of seven astronauts in the Mercury Project. The Mercury Project was a project that worked on trying to put an American man in space. Gus Grissom’s first mission was in 1961, and he was the second American man to make a suborbital flight. Grissom’s most famous quote went like this: "If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life." His partner, Edward H. White, was also distinguished and successful. When he was younger, White was an accomplished athlete, who set a college record in the 400-meter hurdles. He attended West Point, and was the first American man to make a space walk. He was outside of the ship for 21 minutes. When he was killed in the fire, he was only 37 and was married. In addition, a third man, Robert B. Chaffee, was killed in the same fire that took the lives of Edward White and Gus Grissom. Even though these three men were not killed because of medial issues from space, I wanted to give an example of how astronauts’ lives are constantly in jeopardy. The fourth and last astronaut I researched is a man I am sure you all know very well, Neal Armstrong. He was also incredibly successful, known for being the first person to walk on the moon. Sadly, Armstrong recently passed away after what is described as a “complication of a cardiovascular procedure.” The article mentioned that if astronauts’ eyes are squeezed, there could be an increase of homocysteine, which “is often a marker for cardiovascular disease.” If he was having a cardiovascular procedure, he probably had some sort of cardiovascular issue. Whether it was caused by space flight, I don’t know and I doubt that anyone else does. In addition, Neal didn’t die especially young. He was 82, so it is likely his cardiovascular issues were at least partially age related. While I was researching, I also read about many astronauts born in the late ’20 and early ‘30s that are still alive today. In conclusion, there are many dangers concerning space travel, and many unforeseen problems. All astronauts must be exceedingly courageous and daring to go into space, and must be very patriotic to risk their lives for their country. I admire them all tremendously.
I found this article very interesting. I agree with most of the comments in that it is very surprising that your eyeballs could get squashed while you are out in space. Also, that if you put a human out in space, they would not be able to survive, but are there ways to make human beings adapt to that environment and be able to survive, even if only a little while? But saying that could mean that other animals could adapt to other kinds of environments. For example, in the gastropods, there are both underwater snails and that they have adapted to live on land. It can be frightening to go out into space knowing that some of your organs might be crushed. As Lilah said, many people dream of being an astronaut, but don't realize the danger in that, it could permanently damage you. I was also surprised that someone could spend so much time in space! (438 days!) Angela, when I looked up how long Sergei went to space, it says he only went for 311, I am not sure if this is correct though. And Valery Polyakov also had some of the most wobbly legs when he came back. That is another thing that can happen besides your eyes being squished if you stay to long in space. The article also states that being in space could affect your heart, kidney, and other precious organs. This article can lead and provoke other discoveries in the future that can really help all human beings survive in environments that we are not used to. I completely agree with this article and that it could be very dangerous to spend any time in space at all. Even though these people may be able to get to Mars, they won't always be healthy enough when they come back.
8 comments:
This is a very interesting article. As they mentioned, humans were definitely not made to live in space. This article was interesting because it gave a little insight on some of the conditions and ways to solve them of being in space. These conditions seem rather minor, but it could affect people in the long run. However, people have long planned to try and colonize the moon and this information could squash the hope that some have held for many years. I do not think that we could completely change the human race, but wouldn't humans be able to adapt to life in space? The only shortcomings would be that it would take a very long time to adapt and we on earth would still have to send out provisions. Though space may seem like a whole different world, and there are some problems we will have to overcome, wouldn't we be able to adapt? In class, I am researching arthropods, and they were the first animals to crawl out of the water. To them, land was a whole different world, but they could adapt. From a different perspective, however, one could say that humans just weren't meant for space. Humans and all other living things that we know of after investigating for 57 years were placed on earth, so maybe space wasn't meant to be. The article mentioned that Dr. Valery Polyakov lived off of earth for 438 days, an extremely long time. However, when I researched him, a number of articles said that Sergei Krikalev actually set the record at 803 days in space. One article said that after his flight, he needed smelling salts and his legs were wobbly. Could this be like sea-legs, or could this be a hint of lasting effects? Something that interested me was they issue of lessened eye vision. Being in space requires concentration. It is very likely that a disaster will happen. With far-sighted vision, it would be very difficult to focus, and my cause catastrophe. Overall, this was a very interesting article and it is important to all of us.
It's kind of strange to think that when you were little, you had dreams of going to space and floating around in the air. After reading this article, I learned that space is not all fun and games. I am actually kind of surprised that the eyeballs get squished. After hearing that the water in the human body floats around in space, I would think that the eye might swell up, not become squished. Also, the article did say that these effects were present in humans. Would they be the same in animals? I think that they should try and send some different animals into space, and compare what happens to them to what happens to humans.
Also, the article mentioned that the effects of space cause farsightedness. Is it possible for astronauts to bring prescribed glasses into space, in case this happens? Or would the doctors need to make a prescription after signs of farsightedness occur? (Forgive me if the answer to this question is obvious. I do not know much about glasses.) In conclusion, this article was really cool, and this topic could benifit humans in the future, and lead us to easier space travel.
I think that this article is very interesting. I never would have guested that bones in people's bodies would shrink. I also never would have guested that vision could get changed in outer space. I think that this is very scary.
The article mentioned that in 2030 they were planing to send humans up to mars. I do not know how they are going to do this because it is very cold on mars. If they are able to send humans up to mars then we might be able to figure out if there was ever life on the planet. I give this article a 7.
I thought this article was very interesting! This could determine our future in space. Learning about our problems definitely helps us fix them. I thought what Angela said was very interesting. I think that humans probably could adapt but are not willing to take that change. While there were many complications, the one that struck me most was the fact that astronauts receive more radiation and increased levels of the acid, which causes cardiovascular disease (heart/blood vessel disease). First of all, radiation can cause many diseases including cancer, leukemia, thyroid disease etc. However, radiation can’t get through led, can it? While led would definitely be impractical to wear all of the time on earth, in space without gravity, would a led suit feel lighter or would it feel the same weight? Would radiation still come through the suit? Therefore, I think this is a great article that could potentially lead us to fix our problems for an extraterrestrial future.
To answer Christina's question about radiation, radiation can't really get through lead. However, I recall learning some time ago that you need 3 feet of lead or 10 feet of concrete to turn away gamma rays. Yet in doctor or dentist visits, you only need a thin-ish lead suit to repel x-rays. So really, it depends on what kind of radiation you are exposed to. That could be a very interesting thing to investigate.
Wow! This article is really informative and exceedingly interesting. So many astronauts’ lives and health depend on medical research. In my life, I deal with such small worries, every day little difficulties. Will I play well at soccer practice? How am I going to make the bus? Why does my brother always get his way? Small, insignificant matters. It is astonishing to me, and hard to grasp, the dangers and difficulties astronauts willingly face. They must be so courageous and so determined. There are a myriad of things that could go wrong on a space flight, exacerbated by the additional risk of medical problems. As the article said, in space astronauts might suffer from eating and sleeping problems. Their eyes might become kind-of squeezed as well, and lead them with worse eyesight, which the article mentioned might lead to other health issues. The article also said that astronauts are exposed to more radiation, which increases the odds of getting cancer. In addition, Dr. Smith also said that, if astronauts’ eyes are squeezed, it might cause higher amounts of homocysteine, which “might be a marker for cardiovascular disease.” With so many known dangers, and other undiscovered ones possibly lurking nearby, astronauts have so many things to worry about. I admire them for their bravery. While I was reading this article, I started to think about a few deceased famous astronauts. I would like to research them, and figure out how they died, of what cause, and how old they were when they passed away. I want to see if any of them might have died from medical issues that may have possibly been related to space flight.
Earlier, I mentioned that I planned to research the lives of famous astronauts, and now I would like to post what I found. For the most part, my results were inconclusive. In total, I research four astronauts. Sally Ride was the first one I researched. Sally Ride, a successful Stanford University graduate, was a brave, determined, and intelligent astronaut. She earned a place in NASA’s astronaut program over 1,000 other people who applied. She had a Ph.D degree in physics, and in 1983 became the first American women ever to go into space. In all, she ventured on two different journeys to space, and was an overall successful individual. In 2001, she even made her own company and created academic products that she hoped would help girls be able to study more science and math. In addition, she received honors, such as the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. She also made it into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronauts Hall of Fame. Sadly, Sally Ride died at the young age of 61, due to pancreatic cancer. As the article mentioned, astronauts are exposed to more radiation, which would increase the risk of cancer. Whether increased exposure to radiation was the cause of Sally Ride’s early death, nobody can know for sure.
The second and third astronauts I researched, however, did not die of medical causes. Gus Grissom and Edward H. White were both unlucky enough to be killed in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire at the launch pad test. They were at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida when they were killed. Gus Grissom was 41 years old, and had a wife and two children. He was very successful, and had received an Air Medal, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Distinguished Service Medal. He was one of seven astronauts in the Mercury Project. The Mercury Project was a project that worked on trying to put an American man in space. Gus Grissom’s first mission was in 1961, and he was the second American man to make a suborbital flight. Grissom’s most famous quote went like this: "If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life." His partner, Edward H. White, was also distinguished and successful. When he was younger, White was an accomplished athlete, who set a college record in the 400-meter hurdles. He attended West Point, and was the first American man to make a space walk. He was outside of the ship for 21 minutes. When he was killed in the fire, he was only 37 and was married. In addition, a third man, Robert B. Chaffee, was killed in the same fire that took the lives of Edward White and Gus Grissom. Even though these three men were not killed because of medial issues from space, I wanted to give an example of how astronauts’ lives are constantly in jeopardy.
The fourth and last astronaut I researched is a man I am sure you all know very well, Neal Armstrong. He was also incredibly successful, known for being the first person to walk on the moon. Sadly, Armstrong recently passed away after what is described as a “complication of a cardiovascular procedure.” The article mentioned that if astronauts’ eyes are squeezed, there could be an increase of homocysteine, which “is often a marker for cardiovascular disease.” If he was having a cardiovascular procedure, he probably had some sort of cardiovascular issue. Whether it was caused by space flight, I don’t know and I doubt that anyone else does. In addition, Neal didn’t die especially young. He was 82, so it is likely his cardiovascular issues were at least partially age related. While I was researching, I also read about many astronauts born in the late ’20 and early ‘30s that are still alive today. In conclusion, there are many dangers concerning space travel, and many unforeseen problems. All astronauts must be exceedingly courageous and daring to go into space, and must be very patriotic to risk their lives for their country. I admire them all tremendously.
I found this article very interesting. I agree with most of the comments in that it is very surprising that your eyeballs could get squashed while you are out in space. Also, that if you put a human out in space, they would not be able to survive, but are there ways to make human beings adapt to that environment and be able to survive, even if only a little while? But saying that could mean that other animals could adapt to other kinds of environments. For example, in the gastropods, there are both underwater snails and that they have adapted to live on land. It can be frightening to go out into space knowing that some of your organs might be crushed. As Lilah said, many people dream of being an astronaut, but don't realize the danger in that, it could permanently damage you. I was also surprised that someone could spend so much time in space! (438 days!) Angela, when I looked up how long Sergei went to space, it says he only went for 311, I am not sure if this is correct though. And Valery Polyakov also had some of the most wobbly legs when he came back. That is another thing that can happen besides your eyes being squished if you stay to long in space. The article also states that being in space could affect your heart, kidney, and other precious organs. This article can lead and provoke other discoveries in the future that can really help all human beings survive in environments that we are not used to. I completely agree with this article and that it could be very dangerous to spend any time in space at all. Even though these people may be able to get to Mars, they won't always be healthy enough when they come back.
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