Overview:
I may explore cryogenics, preservation fluids, embalming liquids, induced
comas, and other methods to possibly help aid in long duration spaceflight.
I may discuss the Psychology of placebos and a doctor's art and skill
in positive patient relationships. I may discuss police, firefighters, and first responders
and how their calmness and training help to save lives. I may discuss
possible manufactured and processed foods including nutrition supplements.
I may discuss MREs and other rations. I will try to avoid "snake
oils", other than to say they may offer a positive Psychology,
much as placebos do. I may consider discussing cloning, AI technology,
and brain circuitry, combined together to form a new you. I may discuss
how scientists are growing organs in the laboratory. I may propose that
a "dense" pill can be created such that it contains all nutrition
and calories to sustain human life and how chewing bubble gum would
be a necessity to prevent jaw muscle atrophy if you live on nutrition
supplements. I will try to remember that art and science sometimes can
be difficult to divorce.
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Psychology:Folks, I have been to the doctor's office a few times in my life. I have been hospitalized twice. This is a tricky subject. Doctors and surgeons spend many many years learning how to make our quality of life good. Psychology is just one of thousands of things that could be covered in medicine. Since I am no expert, you should always consult a doctor for your ailments. I have general public knowledge only, and some general visitation experience. Why have I included health in this website? Because their is a science and art to health and medicine. Psychology is no exception to some of the healing powers available to a doctor or nurse. Doctors and nurses may be some of the best Psychologists you ever met. And when dabbling with spaceflight, you will undergo psychological strain. A pill or prescription could help offer peace of mind in addition to medicinal value. |
G Forces:G forces can be thought of gravity forces. 1 G is the normal gravity that you experience at 1 atmospheric pressure , and at sea level, and is roughly an acceleration force of 32 ft/sec^2. I have heard that a constant acceleration of 1 g to the nearest star is an inadequate acceleration to achieve destination within a normal human life cycle. So it sometimes seems as if we are not meant to achieve inter-steller travel. But this has not stopped scientists from exploring states of sleep and other options for human longevity in space travel. Other scientists have also explored the idea of warped timespace. For local colonization and spaceflight, G forces do not need to be extreme. A mission to Mars and back, could be accomplished in a few months or less. A mission to the moon and back, can be accomplished in a few days or less. What kind of G forces are tolerable for the average person? A roller coaster ride can achieve around 3 or 4 G forces at times, and these forces are generally acceptable for most people with normal health. Keep in mind that a roller coaster is a short duration ride though and these G forces are not constant. Airforce pilots may be trained to undergo up to 9 G forces for a period of time. Flight suits help the pilot handle these forces, and 9 G forces can be fatal if you are not properly trained and outfitted. So a reasonably comfortable spaceflight could probably be accomplished with less than 3 G forces for a period of time, and 2 G forces for relatively long periods, and 1 G for general operation. That's it folks, these are some of the numbers that we have been handed in our endurance abilities. These numbers may be pushed slightly with simple ergonomic considerations, and in more extreme cases, pressurized flight suits. There may be other technologies that help that I have missed, and I will post them as I discover them, so check back from time to time or feel free to offer input. |
Rations and Nutrition:For long duration spaceflights in zero gravity, there are different dietary needs. Bones may decrease in mass and this may require calcium supplements and other requirements. An exercise routine may be necessary. It may be possible to have electrical muscle stimulation exercises. To save space, it may be possible to have "dense" food that expands with a chemical reaction, including some of the acids present in your stomach. Or, dehydrated foods could be rehydrated. How do you save room with water? Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen may be the answer. And of course, you would have to recycle water from urine and possibly feces (if practical). Playing with feces may offer wonderful results beyond water recovery. There may be biology worth harnessing and harvesting, as a hat trick example. These may be just a few examples of what may be required for food, water, and nutrition. |
Comas and Sleep:A lot of us have seen it in some movies - a sleep cocoon that you go rest in for a couple of centuries before reaching your destination. A lot of us have heard of extreme cases of comatose patients reviving to consciousness after 10, 20, or 30 years. And a lot of us are familiar with embalming fluids and mummification. Additionally, cryogenics may be another consideration in slowing the aging process. All of these ideas, or some of them, or a combination may be what is necessary for long duration space travel. I have heard the term "suspended animation" on a few occasions to help describe the slowing of general biological processes. If these processes can be slowed, or even almost halted, you could avoid bone loss, muscle atrophy, and aging! Is you mission 1000 earth years long! Though this website is geared toward local space colonization, I believe a local colonization would aid in studies that would be applicable to broader space travel which is why I will cover some ideas in deep space from time to time. |
Summary:When speaking of local space colonization and long duration spaceflights, we have made great strides in medicine. The aging process can be slowed, if needed. Foods can be engineered for nutrition and for saving room. Water can be recycled very efficiently (theoretically-you could recover all water). Also, water is likely very abundant on many bodies in the cosmos either at the surface or underground, including on our moon and on Mars. Or at the least, water could be chemically engineered from other substances including hydrogen and oxygen. Lastly, psychology can not be divorced from space health. If the space-flight feels unsafe and is stressful, then the psychology of space travel needs to be massaged. Luckily, we have pretty good success rates with manned flight. Though we have lost a couple of US space shuttles, we have had hundreds of successful missions. Though I would accept those numbers, they can be improved, and with today's technology, these numbers will improve. The space shuttle is a fine machine, but much of it is decades old. Today's technology can launch us at much lower costs with increased safety and less risk. Having said this, get me the schematics for the Space Shuttle to begin building a couple dozen of these. How many people can fit in that cargo bay? 200 perhaps? Perhaps we could add windows? In a total local space endeavor, the US space shuttle would be but one craft of several! |
Pic Group:FOLDER: healthFOLDER: health 
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