Congratulations on being selected as part of the new wave of astronauts! Your journey will take you further and for longer durations than any astronaut before you. Imagine traveling to an asteroid or even Mars, where you might spend up to three years without the possibility of resupply or rescue. It’s crucial to understand the challenges you’ll face in space, but don’t worry—NASA is committed to keeping you safe.
Space is a challenging environment for the human body. One of NASA’s most famous astronauts, Scott Kelly, spent nearly a year in orbit while his twin brother remained on Earth. This unique situation allowed scientists to study the effects of long-term space living. Interestingly, Scott returned to Earth slightly younger than his brother, thanks to the Twin Paradox, a phenomenon of special relativity. However, his telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, shortened more rapidly in space, suggesting accelerated aging.
On Earth, we’re shielded from harmful radiation by the planet’s magnetic fields. In space, however, you’ll be exposed to Galactic Cosmic Rays, high-energy particles from distant supernovae. These particles can penetrate spacecraft and human bodies, potentially causing cellular damage. While we can’t use heavy materials like lead for shielding, NASA is exploring alternatives such as water, nanomaterials, and even waste products from the mission. Special foods and medicines will also be part of your supplies to help mitigate radiation exposure.
In the weightlessness of space, bodily fluids redistribute, causing astronauts to experience puffy faces and stuffy heads. This can trick the body into reducing blood production, leading to fainting upon return to Earth. Vision can also be affected. NASA is testing drugs and special suits to help manage these effects. Additionally, bone density loss is a concern, with astronauts losing 1 to 2% of bone mass each month. Fortunately, NASA’s new weight-lifting machine shows promise in counteracting this loss.
There are still many unknowns about how space affects the human body, such as changes to the microbiome, the impact of losing the natural day/night cycle, and alterations in epigenetics. You might even experience a change in taste, but don’t worry—we’ll ensure you have flavorful food options.
Despite the challenges, human ingenuity is irreplaceable in space exploration. Robots are excellent for certain tasks, but they lack the problem-solving abilities of humans. Your presence is vital for making real-time decisions and handling unexpected situations. Plus, we look forward to the updates and videos you’ll share from your journey!
One final aspect to consider is the psychological effect of space travel. The “overview effect”—seeing Earth from space—can be overwhelming. It’s important to prepare for this unique experience and ensure you’re mentally ready for the journey.
As you embark on this incredible adventure, remember that you’re part of a mission that is both challenging and awe-inspiring. Stay curious and embrace the opportunity to explore the final frontier!
For those interested in learning more about Scott Kelly’s mission, PBS has documented his year in space in a special series titled “A Year In Space.” It’s an unprecedented look at the challenges and triumphs of long-term space travel. You can watch it at pbs.org/yearinspace and follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #YearInSpace.
Engage in a virtual reality simulation that mimics the conditions of space travel. Experience the effects of microgravity, radiation exposure, and the psychological challenges of long-duration missions. Reflect on how these factors might affect you personally and discuss strategies to mitigate them with your peers.
Conduct research on the various materials and methods NASA is exploring to protect astronauts from radiation in space. Prepare a presentation to share your findings with the class, highlighting the pros and cons of each approach and proposing your own innovative solutions.
Participate in a structured debate on the merits and limitations of human versus robotic space exploration. Consider the unique capabilities of humans in problem-solving and decision-making, and weigh them against the efficiency and safety of robotic missions. Formulate arguments for both sides and engage in a lively discussion.
Join a workshop focused on preparing for the psychological challenges of space travel. Explore techniques for managing stress, isolation, and the “overview effect.” Share personal coping strategies and develop a mental health plan to support yourself and your fellow astronauts during the mission.
Design and conduct an experiment to study the effects of environmental stressors on telomere length. Use model organisms or cell cultures to simulate conditions similar to those in space. Analyze the results and discuss the implications for human aging and health during long-term space missions.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[MUSIC][MUSIC]
Congratulations! Your application to be among the next generation of astronauts has been accepted! You’ve proven to have the right stuff. As a member of the newest astronaut class, you’re going to take trips farther and longer than any astronaut before you. An asteroid. Maybe even Mars, which means you could be up there for three years, with no chance of resupply or rescue. Naturally, we want to keep all our participants safe.
Now, in case you didn’t read all the fine print on your application, space is a risky place to work… your body will face some major challenges up there. But we’re not going to let that stop us, are we? We’re NASA!
You might recognize NASA’s most famous test subject: Scott Kelly. Scott spent almost an entire year in orbit, while his astronaut twin brother stayed on Earth. This allowed us to conduct the first truly comparative study about the effects of living in space long-term. Scott Kelly launched six minutes younger than his twin brother, but after a year in orbit, he returned even younger—by a few milliseconds at least.
This is the Twin Paradox, an effect of special relativity. Unfortunately, due to Scott’s telomeres, we believe he actually returned to Earth physically older than his brother. The ends of our chromosomes are protected by special DNA caps, which shorten as cells divide and we age. Living in space seems to speed up that shortening. And since shorter telomeres are linked to physical aging, your body will age faster while you’re away from home. Don’t worry, the effect isn’t too extreme. But we’ll pack some extra supplies for you just in case.
We’re exposed to radiation every day on Earth—medical scans, the environment, even the food we eat. But those tiny doses aren’t really anything to worry about. But in space? It’s a different story. The magnetic fields surrounding Earth and the sun shield us from the worst kinds of radiation, but out there you’ll be exposed to Galactic Cosmic Rays.
When far-off supernovas explode, they send atoms zipping through space at near the speed of light—so fast that they get stripped of their electrons. Those leftover particles have enough energy to pass right through a spacecraft hull… or a human body, literally changing the atomic structure of your cells on their way through, which has a handful of negative effects.
That’s bad enough, but when galactic cosmic rays collide with other matter, like the atoms that make up spaceships and astronauts, it can cause a chain reaction of secondary radiation. Compared to something like a gamma ray, it’s the difference between shooting something with a hair dryer and a powerful weapon.
We can’t just build a lead spaceship to protect you; it would be too heavy to launch, and denser shields can actually create more issues. But we’re testing other shield materials that might work better, like water, nanomaterials, and even waste produced during your journey.
We’re also packing special foods and medicines to minimize radiation damage, but you’re still going to get a significant dose. On a six-month space station mission, astronauts receive radiation doses about 20 to 40 times higher than what an average person on Earth gets in a year. A trip to Mars might give you a dose ten times or more what astronauts receive on the ISS. But you get to go to Mars. Fair trade?
You’re going to feel a little bloated while you’re weightless. Under Earth gravity, blood pools in our lower body, but in space, that fluid gets more evenly distributed, giving astronauts puffy faces and stuffy heads. It actually tricks your body into thinking you’ve got too much blood, so your body makes less. That’s why astronauts sometimes faint when they return to Earth. That extra pressure in your head can also affect your vision.
But we’re testing drugs and negative pressure suits to redistribute that fluid back to the lower body. In the meantime, remember to hold the camera above your head when taking selfies for that slimming effect.
We don’t think of our bones as being “alive,” but they’re constantly being broken down and rebuilt on the cellular level. Bone is slowly reabsorbed by our body, but the strain of moving and lifting our weight stimulates the growth of new bone material to replace it. In Earth gravity, these processes are nicely balanced, but in microgravity, the breakdown goes into overdrive. Astronauts can lose 1 to 2% of their bone density every month, especially in areas like the spine and hip.
Luckily, NASA has a new weight-lifting machine that has been shown to reverse this bone loss. It hasn’t been tested on a mission as long as yours, but we don’t think you’re going to need assistance by the time you get to Mars.
There are a few things your colleagues on the space station are still working on, like how space might affect your microbiome, the effects of losing our natural day/night cycle, and how microgravity might influence your epigenetics—all the chemical marks that help turn genes on and off. Oh, and you might lose your sense of taste, but we’ll pack some flavorful options for you.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. With all the extreme discomfort and challenges that long-term space travel poses for humans, you’re worried that we might outsource your job to robots. Well, no need to worry! Robots make great explorers, but they’re not very good problem solvers. A lot can happen up there—new discoveries, emergencies, decisions that need to be made without a long communication lag back to Earth.
Even a simple task like dusting off solar panels requires either a dedicated robotic device or just a wave of the hand. Long-term space missions will always benefit from the ingenuity of humans like you. Plus, we want to see all those cool updates and videos you’re going to send back to Earth!
Now, before we let you go, there’s one final test we’d like to run. When we first sent people into space, we honestly didn’t know how their minds would handle it. There’s a sensation called the “overview effect”—the feeling of looking down and seeing your entire world, every single living thing, the blues and greens and reds shrinking beneath you… it can be psychologically challenging. We just want to make sure that you can handle it.
So sit back, take a look at this, and let me know what you think.
[PEACEFUL MUSIC]
Hey everyone! So you can probably tell that living in space is really hard. Astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko are about to return from a year on the space station. This mission has been extreme—extremely difficult, extremely brave, and extremely awesome. And if you’re like me, you want to know everything about it. Well, you’re in luck.
The folks from PBS have been filming Scott Kelly’s mission and the months leading up to it for a special show called “A Year In Space.” No space mission has been captured like this one. You don’t want to miss this. “Year In Space” is streaming at pbs.org/yearinspace. You can also follow along with the hashtag on social media. And as always, stay curious.
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This version maintains the core information while removing any potentially sensitive or informal language.
Space – The vast, seemingly infinite expanse that exists beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, where celestial bodies are located. – The study of space has led to significant advancements in our understanding of the universe.
Exploration – The act of investigating or traveling through an unfamiliar area to learn more about it, often used in the context of space missions. – Space exploration has provided valuable insights into the origins of our solar system.
Astronaut – A person who is trained to travel and perform tasks in space. – The astronaut conducted experiments on the International Space Station to study the effects of microgravity on plant growth.
Radiation – Energy that is emitted in the form of waves or particles, which can be harmful to living organisms in high doses, especially in space. – Astronauts must be protected from cosmic radiation during long-duration space missions.
Microgravity – A condition in which objects appear to be weightless and experience very weak gravitational forces, typically found in space environments. – Experiments conducted in microgravity help scientists understand how fluids behave without the influence of Earth’s gravity.
Aging – The process of becoming older, which can be accelerated or altered by the conditions experienced in space. – Research on the International Space Station aims to understand how microgravity affects the aging process in humans.
Challenges – Difficulties or obstacles that need to be overcome, often encountered in the context of space missions and research. – One of the major challenges of space travel is ensuring the safety and health of astronauts during extended missions.
Particles – Small localized objects to which can be ascribed several physical or chemical properties, often studied in the context of physics and space. – The Large Hadron Collider is used to study the behavior of subatomic particles at high energies.
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, particularly relevant in understanding the mental health of astronauts in space. – The psychology of astronauts is crucial in preparing them for the isolation and stress of long-duration space missions.
Ingenuity – The quality of being clever, original, and inventive, often required in solving complex problems in physics and space exploration. – The ingenuity of engineers and scientists has led to the development of advanced technologies for space exploration.
