The idea of human spaceflight received global attention during the 1960s with the advancement of aerospace and rocket technology. The technology enabled humans to explore planets and natural bodies such as the moon, and also planet Mars, which had never been explored before. However, not all space mission goes well because accidents occur, therefore damaging expensive equipment’s and even leading to loss of lives. This article, therefore, examines the hazards to human fights, its impacts, and measures to prevent or minimize the impact of these hazards.

Types of Hazards to Human Spaceflight

According to Angelo (2007), human performance and experience in space involve the activities performed by the scientists and the space explorers in low earth orbit. There is the need for more human labor in the space beyond the protection offered to the travelers in the low earth orbit, to establish a more extended expedition in the space.

The missions to space stations have expanded spaceflight knowledge. However, the missions have encountered numerous challenges such as the Columbia, Apollo one and the Challenger accidents which have curtailed the experiment schedules of the space travelers. Despite the limitations of the spaceflight’s mechanical database, the spaceflight explorers recommend appropriate protection, and safety measures where space travelers can travel and work safe (Rycroft et al., 2002).

Incidents of Spaceflight Hazards

There are numerous incidents of spaceflight hazards in the American space program such as the Columbian, Apollo one and Challenger accidents. Specific major cause-effect factors linked to spaceflight include health and safety, which requires improving the current and efficient safety mechanism to achieve space knowledge needed to accommodate more spaces travelers (Rapp, 2008).

Health and Safety Issue in Human Spaceflight

There are specific health and safety issues linked to human spaceflight. The security matters involve stopping launch cancellations, protecting the space vehicle, space-based assembly, accident constructions, scaling up the efficiency of the life support systems from colluding with meteoroids, defending the space travelers from the risk of outer space radiation, and minimizing mental stress to the spaceship travelers (Rapp, 2008).

The substantial impact of deceleration and acceleration forces of the spaceflight when working and living in a light atmosphere for an extensive period, ascending and descending on earth, and continued exposure to space radiation is the significant aspects which require a solution if people are to travel in space. Astronauts and cosmonauts have come up with measures to minimize spaceflight hazards such as the adoption of microgravity conditions, which accelerates the speed of the spaceship six times than gravity, without any critical functioning problem, permanent physical challenge, or severe health outcome on the vascular system. Nonetheless, temporary physical challenges like the irregular psychological complications, space sickness and space adaptation disorder like the feeling of stress and isolation, and the different post-flight recovery periods after a long-duration mission, still poses a risk to the spaceship crew (Rapp, 2008).

Particular concern about the human spaceflight hazard is that the contact of the space flight with the small space gravitational pull, decreases the need of a person’s muscles after an extended journey, causing a significant loss of muscles which weakens the space travelers to the extent that they explore or travel on the space. Few physiological deviations have been observed among the Russian, and the American astronauts during the Mir, Skylab, and ISS extended space mission. The astronauts and the cosmonauts observed effects which are linked to the adaptation of less conditions of gravity, with the affected physical parameters returning to a usual range during or after the mission (International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, In Sgobba&InRongier, 2015).

According to International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, In Sgobba&inRongier (2015), the influx of atomic nuclei, electrons, and protons affect the ability of space travelers and workers, due to the ionizing radiation environment. The protons and the electrons are trapped by earth’s attractive force, forming the van Allan belts in the low earth orbit. The quantity of ionized energy in low earth orbit differs with the solar movement, and the trapped energy belts are of concern when space crews move to geostationary lunar surface base or earth orbit. Solar atomic actions signify a key ionizing radioactive risk to space worker, In geostationary settings. Thought the interplanetary and the cislunar space, space explorers may also encounter galactic cosmic rays, which have active atomic elements, comprised of heavy helium nuclei, and protons.

Lunar surface base workers and Mars expedition personnel, also encounter emotional syndromes called solipsism, where travelers feel that everything, they see on the space are imaginary things. The solipsism syndrome is attributed to the long confinement in the spaceflight, where everything is artificially or human-made. Moreover, space travelers experience shimanagashi syndrome, which makes them have the feeling of isolation, and being left out (International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (Sgobba&Rongier, 2015).

Measures to Deal With Human Spaceflight Hazards

According to the Government Publishing Office (2014), numerous strategies have been developed to overcome the physical impacts of buoyancy, among space travelers. Measures such as the application of workout regimen, and the use of fluid body shifts, can be used to minimize the pressure. Moreover, the use of anti-motion capsule is crucial in stopping and minimizing provisional sickness caused by motion, while the right diet with organic supplements and the daily workout is also a remedy to minimize the physical effect of weightlessness.

According to the Government Publishing Office (2014), eating is basic survival required by the astronaut, to accomplish their mission and objectives. Since the 1960s eating in space is a natural act, which progressed from squeezing paste-like food, from toothpaste tubes. The food consumed in the spaceflight must be easy to prepare, lightweight, nutritious and safe. Additionally, the specific types and forms of food consumed include thermostabilized, irradiated food and rehydratable diet, standard moisturized diet, and natural form food. The food also requires little storage space and must last through the mission. The food preparation requires specific approaches such as dehydration, to attain the mass and volume restriction needed to launch the space vehicle, while rehydration to make the food ready for eating.

According to the Government Publishing Office (2014), there is a need to provide a long-term solution to the hazards of human spaceflight. The long-term solutions include providing satisfactory levels of artificial large base gravity and orbiting space settlement, where the space settlement can provide the inhabitants with diverse of gravity points, which extends to a usual gravity level like the one on earth. The numerous options of gravity level, make the lifestyle in the space settlement, more diverse than on land, and prepares the space explorers willing to settle in space, for life in a new world.

Protecting the solar flash warning system and an energy dosimetry apparatus is another measure which can be used to prevent hazards to human spaceflight. Shielding solar flare warning system prevents space travelers from experiencing ionizing radiation, and does more functions that meet the standards established for several space assignments and works. Moreover, space travelers going to the lunar surface base requires an extensive tool which they can use to shield radiation energy, due to severe and unpredictable hazards caused by a sizeable solar atom. When the space traveler ventures a considerable safe distance from a protected base, then the travelers require temporary access to the radioactive storm cell. Likewise, any mars expedition vehicle and crew also need shielding from the radiation, during the long space journey, to protect them from extended contact to cosmic rays in the space settlement. The spaceflight must also provide additional emergency shielding provisions where all the travelers can hide for sometimes, to avoid acute radiation dose (Government Publishing Office, 2014).

According to Angelo (2007), Shimanagashi and solipsism syndromes risks, can be prevented or minimized through a careful design of living quarters and ensuring effective communication among the spaceflight travelers, and those on earth. Constant and effective communication can help minimize or relieve psychological disorder experienced by the crew. Moreover, there is the need to design techniques which can be used to sustain the mental wellbeing and joy of the spaceflight travelers. The space flight crew members should have valuable human factor guidelines, which ensures that space travelers remain mentally fit all the times.

References

Angelo, J. A. (2007). Human Spaceflight. New York, NY: Facts on File.

Government Publishing Office. (2014). Human Adaptation to Spaceflight: The Role of Nutrition. United States Govt. Printing Office.

International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety., In Sgobba, T., & In Rongier, I. (2015). Space safety is no accident: The 7th IAASS Conference.

Rapp, D. (2008). Human missions to Mars: Enabling technologies for exploring the red planet. Berlin: Springer.

Rycroft, M., International Space University, Annual Symposium of the International Space University (ISU), & International symposium: “Beyond the ISS: the Future of Human Spaceflight.” (2002). Beyond the International Space Station: The future of human spaceflight; proceedings of an international symposium, 4-7 June 2002, Strasbourg, France; [seventh annual symposium of the International Space University (ISU)]. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.

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