Surviving in Space

“NASA had already learned that too much supervision can be a problem as well. Every day on a Skylab mission that ended in 1974, mission control sent the three astronauts a six-foot-long sheet of instructions. “Our system was designed to squeeze every minute out of an astronaut’s day,” said the lead flight director. The ground even began scheduling experiments during the crew’s mealtimes.

Finally, the astronauts rebelled. In a stinging rebuke to the ground, commander Gerlad P Carr announced that the crew was on strike. They were going to relax and do as they pleased. They were going to look out the window, take pictures they wanted to take. Stunned, controllers got the message and finally concluded that astronaut time off was ‘mandatory’ and ‘inviolate.’”

One of the inherent difficulties of astronauts spending long periods in space – as discussed in Michael Long’s article “Survivng in Space” – is that they need their own time. While these characters are “the best of the best,” they have passed every physical, physiological, and psychological exam put forth by NASA’s doctors; they can and will inevitably suffer from the stress of work.

Long’s article focused on the difficulties NASA faced before they could consider launching a manned-mission to Mars. The mission, which could easily take three years, poses many dangers to the astronauts. The difficulties faced with confining a small number of people for three years together aside, on an individual level, there are risks to the human body.

One astronaut, David A. Wolf, spent four and a half months in space and, upon return, had lost 40 percent of his muscle mass, 12 percent of his bone, and 23 pounds. But this is also in stark comparison to the Russian cosmonaut Yuri V. Romanenko who, after spending 329 days in orbit and a brief nagging by reporters of his condition, performed a one-armed handstand.

While the American’s and Russian’s state of fitness differed considerably following their time in space, the problems Wolf faced are more a constant problem, even for shorter periods.

“Deprived of gravity information, a confused brain engenders visual illusions. Body fluids surge to chest and head. Neck veins bulge. Faces puff. The heart enlarges a bit, as do other organs. Sensing too much fluid, the body begins to excrete it, including calcium, electrolytes, and blood plasma. The production of red blood cells decreases, rendering astronauts slightly anemic. With the loss of fluid, legs shrink. Spinal discs expand, and so does the astronaut—a six-footer can soon measure six-foot-two and suffer a backache.”