Separating ourselves can cause intense effects on our physiology. Our bodies evolved over millions of years in tandem with Earth's gravitational pull. And while astronauts on the International Space Station are shielded from the sun's radiation at least half the time (when the Earth is blocking it), astronauts headed to Mars would have no metaphorical lead apron during the seven-month journey to the red planet. Away from the Earth's electromagnetic field, ionizing radiation is everywhere, which can not only cause cancer, but also bleeding gums, one's hair falling out, brain damage and reduced immunity. Pressure differences between the brain and eye when in space can cause visual impairments, like Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome. Microgravity can trigger muscle atrophy and loss of bone density. We do know that trips to the Moon and long periods in space, such as what the crew on the International Space Station experiences, have caused profound alterations to astronaut bodies. Because this challenge has never been attempted before, there are still a lot of unknown variables. Changes in gravity, sunlight and intense exposure to radiation are a few of the many lethal elements awaiting any Mars-journeying astronauts. Such an assignment would be even more dangerous, and much, much further away, though the stakes may still make such a journey worth it in the end.īut many questions remain about how to make this trip or how to mitigate certain risks, especially when it comes to how the human body would respond to life on Mars. Thankfully, the mission was a success, but some future president may need to prepare a similar draft speech if humans are ever to travel to Mars, the fourth planet in our solar system. It thanked the astronauts for their brave sacrifice, preceded by a clergyman who would've adopted the same procedure as a burial at sea: commending their souls to "the deepest of the deep," and concluding with the Lord's Prayer. Nixon's prepared statement, which was not widely publicized until 1999, was grim. In July 1969, as the Apollo 11 astronauts prepared to trek to the moon, the Nixon Administration prepped some worst-case-scenario remarks in case this risky mission became deadly - a distinct possibility.
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