To What Extent Do Health Concerns And Risks Affect Future Space Exploration?
Today's space technology (Paragraph 1)
NASA currently doesn't have a operational space program.
The environmental factors that affect space travel.
Satellites
Radiation
Mass uses of natural resources.
The effects space travel has on a person. (Paragraph 2)
Gravity field transition
Isolation in space.
The human effect
The transition to a new gravity feild is a big problem because your body is use to being on Earth .
This affects hand eye coordination, balance and locomotion are all important things a astronaut needs to be effective in space.
When going from one gravity field to another will affect the person's bone loss. " Even after returning to Earth, your bone loss might not be corrected by rehabilitation, so you could be at greater risk of osteoporosis-related fractures later in life. "(Abadie)
There is no training to help prevent this from happening to anyone in space over time.
"Crews for a Mars mission will undergo even more scrutiny and preparation, since they will travel farther and longer than any previous human, being more isolated and confined than we can imagine."
Also the lack of fresh foods will cause a deficiency in nutrition that will greater effect the physiological and cognitive decrements.
"New lighting, spurred by the development of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) technology, will soon be used on the space station to help you align your circadian rhythms which will improve sleep, alertness, and performance."
Space Radiation
The most dangerous aspect of traveling to Mars is space radiation.
"On the space station, astronauts receive over ten times the radiation than what’s naturally occurring on Earth."
In space there is no protection like on Earth where people are protected by the magnetic field that surrounds the planet.
"It can damage your central nervous system, with both acute effects and later consequences, manifesting itself as altered cognitive function, reduced motor function, and behavioral changes. "
The extra exposure to the radiation may cause astronauts to experience radiation sickness that will hamper the mission and may cause damage to the rest of the crew.
Effects on the environment when rockets are being used. (Paragraph 3)
Effect on ozone.
"Current global rocket launches deplete the ozone layer by no more than a few hundredths of 1 percent annually, said Toohey. But as the space industry grows and other ozone-depleting chemicals decline in the Earth's stratosphere, the issue of ozone depletion from rocket launches is expected to move to the forefront."
Because so few rockets are blasting off this is not a huge thing for environmentalists to focus on
The exhaust from space-ship engines means that several kilotons of carbon dioxide are added to the atmosphere every year.
"If left unregulated, rocket launches by the year 2050 could result in more ozone destruction than was ever realized by CFCs."
"Although U.S. science agencies spent millions of dollars to assess the ozone loss potential from a hypothetical fleet of 500 supersonic aircraft -- a fleet that never materialized -- much less research has been done to understand the potential range of effects the existing global fleet of rockets might have on the ozone layer, said Ross."
Space junk
In space journeys lots of times they leave behind all kinds of debris that includes, old batteries, jettisoned components, and human refuse.
"NASA estimates that there are upward of 500,000 pieces of debris larger than one centimeter currently orbiting the planet—not to mention tens of millions of really tiny particles, which can damage sensitive equipment despite their diminutive size."
"A collision with even a tiny fragment can be disastrous at orbital speeds. In this test, a half-inch wide impactor (1.2 cm) struck a 7-inch-thick (18 cm) aluminum block at a speed of 15,200 mph (6.8 kilometers per second)."
There has been lots of plans to remove and promote removing debris from the orbit of Earth.
An impact like this could result in a massive collision that would cause a chain reaction.
"In 2013, the largest space debris risk in orbit is the derelict ENVISAT satellite. Contact was lost unexpectedly in April 2012. The 85-foot (26 meters) derelict is in an orbit where other space objects approach within 660 feet (200 meters) of the satellite every year."
A large majority of catalogued objects come from a Chinese anti-satellite test and when two satellites collide in 2009.
"You could also develop a sleep disorder because your circadian rhythm might be thrown off due to the 38 extra minutes each day on Mars, or by a small, noisy environment, or the stress of prolonged isolation and confinement. Depression could occur. "