As we know it, one of humanity’s greatest goals to achieve in life is the expansion of space travel. Just like how Neil Armstrong reached the moon in 1969 and how Elon Musk is desperate to reach Mars, space exploration remains important in discovering the world above the sky. At this point, scientists have realized how the universe is expanding, which greatly increases the chances of finding something “other”. Whether that’s establishing contact with aliens or discovering a brand-new habitable planet not many light years away. The point is, that space travel remains to be a pivotal subject for humanity to ponder upon.
To reach this understanding we have of space today, humanity has sent humans out into the great unknown. Conducting experiments and documenting their observations has led us to learn more about our habitat way above the atmosphere. From what has been documented, we have learned that space is “zero-gravity”, but not actually zero because there can never be “no gravity” in space. We have also learned that space is only 1 degree warmer than absolute zero (which is -273.15 degrees Celsius). in 1995, astronomers Raghvendra Sahai and Lars-AÌŠke Nyman said that absolute zero is the lowest temperature that is theoretically possible!
Since we now know that space has proven itself to be a deadly and scientifically rich area, are the human space travellers affected by it?
There are many long-term issues that correlate with the human anatomy and space travel, mainly the fact that many of the organs in the body may slightly deteriorate. Some examples of these negative health conditions include balance disorders, muscle atrophy, and immune system deterioration. All these complications may occur because of the radiation levels, weightlessness, long-term confinement, and even loneliness (well confinement and loneliness may play a part in psychological conditions rather than physical issues).
One of the most prominent of these apparent psychological issues is located with sleep patterns. All humans have an inner biological clock that helps us keep in check with our sleep patterns during time changes and season changes. In space, this biological clock becomes quite messed up due to the drastic change of habitat and atmosphere. Another factor is because of the lack of gravity travellers face whilst in their spaceships, they become fatigued and their sleep schedule deteriorates even more. Isolation is another issue they have to deal with. Astronauts may have to work with an extremely small team for many months, and of course, as expected, conflict may arise.
Monotony occurs in space travel too. As most people probably know, monotony is the quality of wearisome consistency, routine, and lack of variety. Because they are cooped up in a small place, for months, at a time, and probably do the exact same thing every day, boredom is inevitable, which will obviously negatively impact the emotional state of the astronauts.
The radiation that circulates around in space also factors into the well-being of the astronauts. This may lead to a negative interference with the astronaut’s executive functions. Furthermore, increased levels of exposure may lead to neuroinflammation which can lead to Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.
Overall, although space exploration may be a beautiful subject area to learn more about, the astronauts will unfortunately pay the price of their health. So for all you readers out there who are aspiring to be an astronaut, keep in mind the small price you have to pay.
