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Health in Space

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  • 10-09-2011 2:31pm
    #1
    Jaafa
    Registered Users Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭


    So I've read and seen a few documentaries on the effects of space on peoples health. Such as loss of bone density and radiation. I was just wondering how are things progressing in this area and have their been any major advancements? Will space always pose a major health risk for us? Will we be able to bring down those risks to the level of say flying in a plane any time soon?


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    #2
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    Jaafa wrote: »
    So I've read and seen a few documentaries on the effects of space on peoples health. Such as loss of bone density and radiation. I was just wondering how are things progressing in this area and have their been any major advancements? Will space always pose a major health risk for us? Will we be able to bring down those risks to the level of say flying in a plane any time soon?
    No great advances in reducing the risks Excersise in orbit helps with bone density loss and each astronaut take time out each day to excersise to help with this. Radiation will always be a problem, the only way to reduce the risk would be to make the spacecraft walls thicker but this is not pratical at all due to weight and cost. Future advance may help but not in the short to medium term.


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    #3
    Jaafa
    Registered Users Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Jaafa


    Beeker wrote: »
    No great advances in reducing the risks Excersise in orbit helps with bone density loss and each astronaut take time out each day to excersise to help with this. Radiation will always be a problem, the only way to reduce the risk would be to make the spacecraft walls thicker but this is not pratical at all due to weight and cost. Future advance may help but not in the short to medium term.

    See I always thought the best way to improve our survive-ability and ability to stay in space for longer is not to build machines or medicines,but rather to change our bodies before we go up through implants, nanotechnology and perhaps mechanical replacements for body parts.

    Obviously this too is not possibly in the short term,but certainly I think in the medium term. Especially because such advancements would not be exclusive to Space travel but could have applications here on earth. Therefore there would be a bigger push to create them.


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    #4
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Beeker wrote: »
    No great advances in reducing the risks Excersise in orbit helps with bone density loss and each astronaut take time out each day to excersise to help with this. Radiation will always be a problem, the only way to reduce the risk would be to make the spacecraft walls thicker but this is not pratical at all due to weight and cost. Future advance may help but not in the short to medium term.

    Would some sort of magnetic shielding not work for reducing the effects of radiation? If so, it would probably be more feasible in the short to medium term than a spacecraft with much thicker walls.


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    #5
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    AlmightyCushion wrote: »
    Would some sort of magnetic shielding not work for reducing the effects of radiation? If so, it would probably be more feasible in the short to medium term than a spacecraft with much thicker walls.
    Yeah that would be the way to go, but our technology is not up to that just yet for something as large as a spacecraft.


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    #6
    Rubecula
    Registered Users Posts: 8,551 ✭✭✭Rubecula


    I suppose that a spinning space wheel (as put forward by Arthur C Clarke and others) coupled with a heavily leaded safety room could do the job.

    Seriously doubt it will happen in that way though.


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    #7
    texidub
    Registered Users Posts: 280 ✭✭texidub


    One technology that could help help astronauts recover from prolonged periods in space is brain-controlled exoskeletons. Not ready yet, but probably one to watch out for:

    http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-04/23/brain-controlled-exoskeletons-advance-with-mindwalker


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    #8
    AugustusMinimus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,553 ✭✭✭AugustusMinimus


    Revolving spaceships in order to create artifical gravity is an easy solution to weightlessness problems.

    How strong a magnetic field would be needed to deflect solar radiation ?


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    #9
    Jaafa
    Registered Users Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Jaafa


    texidub wrote: »
    One technology that could help help astronauts recover from prolonged periods in space is brain-controlled exoskeletons. Not ready yet, but probably one to watch out for:

    http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-04/23/brain-controlled-exoskeletons-advance-with-mindwalker

    See I don't like that method because its fixing a problem after the damage is done. Prevention is always best and probably cheaper.


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    #10
    Cork boy 55
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭Cork boy 55


    The multi-generational effects of different gravity fields are topics of ongoing research, although not with human subjects. One brief summary is available

    http://www.astrobio.net/interview/2514/shades-of-gravity


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