• Question: is it possible for someone to live in space?

    Asked by simmy123 to Amy, Grant, Martin, Shawn, Usman on 19 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Grant Kennedy

      Grant Kennedy answered on 19 Mar 2013:


      Sure! There are people who live on the international space station for 6 months at a time. They can’t live up there permanently though, they need supplies to keep them going. Also, us humans aren’t evolved to live in zero gravity, so over time astronauts get weaker and are more likely to get sick. Some science fiction books talk about us evolving in the future to adapt to space. If that went on for long enough, we could even split into two different species, space people and Earth people!
      g

    • Photo: Amy Tyndall

      Amy Tyndall answered on 19 Mar 2013:


      As Grant says, we are just not designed to live in low gravity for long periods of time. Astronauts end up suffering from muscle wastage and weakened bones (as the lack of gravity makes it harder for the body to absorb certain important minerals), and nearly all of them suffer from ‘space sickness’ when they first go up to the ISS. This is one thing that needs to be looked in to before we can consider sending people off on a manned mission to Mars – how to keep the travellers healthy.

      The astronauts on the ISS have their own exercise equipment, though, to try and keep the body active. I love this photo, as it doesn’t matter whether the treadmill is on the ‘floor’ or ‘ceiling’ in space! 😀

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