Successful results from these studies will be applied to Mars missions to make them a reality.
A great way to restate all of this is through some simple numbers. Astronauts have to exercise 2 hours per day in space. They lose 40 percent of their muscles after logging five months in space. They need 365 days to regain their bone density. 460 kilometers separate the Earth and the ISS; there’ s definitely a lot of space there! No wonder the astronauts who live in a strange environment suffer so much.
With all these space studies concentrating on reducing physical health deterioration in space and shortening their recovery time afterwards on earth, there is bound to be major breakthroughs in the near future to support lofty, long term goals, such as manned missions to Mars. A major challenge to Mars missions is the space radiation, especially the galactic cosmic rays. In fact, space radiation is a big threat, even on the ISS, so men can only stay on there for 24 months and women only 18 months. After this time period, there is a 3 % increased risk for cancer from the rays causing harmful genetic mutations. Besides travelling to Mars, making trips to space affordable for the middle class in another goal for private space companies; however, the companies still have some work to do. There is 1.8 % chance of a space accident occurring as opposed to a 0.4 / 100,000 chance of an airplane accident. The more successful results scientists can extrapolate from space experiments, the closer to reality a manned-Mars mission will become; also, breakthroughs in space health can dramatically decrease the costs for normal civilians to go into space.
While astronauts face physical challenges in space, special space exercise technology and a rigorous rehab program on earth help astronauts get back to normal. Scientists are currently conducting space experiments and researching ways to slow down physical deterioration in space and shorten rehab time on earth. Additionally, this research may also aid in cancer and osteoporosis research and solving long term health impacts, such as radiation damage. Successful results will enable us to go to Mars and even farther! The distant long term possibilities are endless. Sci-fi technology of space pods can also become a reality in the near future. These promising results could be applied to space, provided that the stasis time could be extended to months. With increased speed of spaceflights approaching the speed of light, astronauts could hibernate for a few months until they reach their interstellar destination!
THE IMPACTS
JANUARY 2018 | 27