Posted on 05/02/2007 9:20:58 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
Never mind sex in space; what about death up there?
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 2, 2007
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – How do you get rid of the body of a dead astronaut on a three-year mission to Mars and back?
When should the plug be pulled on a critically ill astronaut who is using up precious oxygen and endangering the rest of the crew? Should NASA employ DNA testing to weed out astronauts who might get a disease on a long flight?
With NASA planning to land on Mars 30 years from now, and with the recent discovery of the most “Earth-like” planet ever seen outside the solar system, the space agency has begun to ponder some of the thorny practical and ethical questions posed by deep space exploration. Some of these who-gets-thrown-from-the-lifeboat questions are outlined in a NASA document on crew health obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.
NASA doctors and scientists, with help from outside bioethicists and medical experts, hope to answer many of these questions over the next several years.
“As you can imagine, it's a thing that people aren't really comfortable talking about,” said Dr. Richard Williams, NASA's chief health and medical officer. “We're trying to develop the ethical framework to equip commanders and mission managers to make some of those difficult decisions should they arrive in the future.”
One topic that is evidently too hot to handle: How do you cope with sexual desire among healthy young men and women during a mission years long?
Sex is not mentioned in the document and has long been almost a taboo topic at NASA. Williams said the question of sex in space is not a matter of crew health but a behavioral issue that will have to be taken up by others at NASA.
The document does spell out some health policies in detail, such as how much radiation astronauts can be exposed to from space travel (no more radiation than the amount that would increase the risk of cancer by 3 percent over the astronaut's career) and the number of hours crew members should work each week (no more than 48 hours).
But on other topics – such as steps for disposing of the dead and cutting off an astronaut's medical care if he or she cannot survive – the document merely says these are issues for which NASA needs a policy.
“There may come a time in which a significant risk of death has to be weighed against mission success,” Wolpe said. “The idea that we will always choose a person's well-being over mission success, it sounds good, but it doesn't really turn out to be necessarily the way decisions always will be made.”
For now, astronauts and cosmonauts who become critically sick or injured at the International Space Station – something that has never happened – can leave the orbiting outpost 220 miles above Earth and return home within hours aboard a Russian Soyuz space vehicle.
That wouldn't be possible if a life-and-death situation were to arise on a voyage to Mars, where the nearest hospital is millions of miles away.
Moreover, Mars-bound astronauts will not always be able to rely on instructions from Mission Control, since it would take nearly a half-hour for a question to be asked and an answer to come back via radio.
NASA will consider whether astronauts must undergo preventive surgery, such as an appendectomy, to head off medical emergencies during a mission, and whether astronauts should be required to sign living wills with end-of-life instructions.
The space agency also must decide whether to set age restrictions on the crew, and whether astronauts of reproductive age should be required to bank sperm or eggs because of the risk of genetic mutations from radiation exposure during long trips.
Already, NASA is considering genetic screening in choosing crews on the long-duration missions. That is now prohibited.
Dear Mr. E. Dutch,
We here at NASA are thrilled to hear of your volunteering for our “Sex in Space” Program. We need remind you that a
complete physical is required for all subjects, when was the last time you saw a proctologist?
The other members of your research team, Bruce, Elton, and
Senator Franks are all looking forward to getting to know you better in the days and nights ahead.
Tet68, Director of Sexual Spatial Operations, Nasa.
Yeah. Uh huh. Thank you very much, Associated Press, for demonstrating once again your level of reliability.
Certainly these uncomfortable questions must be considered when planning a mission to Mars, but the "recent discovery" has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with manned spaceflight. While 581c is a mere stone's throw away in astronomical terms, at a distance of roughly 0.1% of the galactic diameter, it's still twenty light years away. We won't be sending manned expeditions on distances a millionth of that in our lifetime. (20 light years is about three million times the distance of Mars at opposition.)
I'd ask why the AP is sending idiots to cover science stories... but I suppose these idiots are probably the smartest guys they've got.
You had *way* too fun writing that response....
On the NOSIE!
Only if the decompression were sudden. Slow decompress gives the internal gasses a chance to escape. No suit. Just something to cover and contain the corpse, and tie it down to the outside of the spacecraft. The extreme cold and vacuum would quickly freeze-dry the body. The body would be brittle, and there would be some distortion, but not much....
Look, I never said any of this was going to be pretty, or fun. After all, death is a grisley business.
Blame Canada.
Thank or blame????
Sex in space, death in space:
I’m surprised no one has mentioned an answer to both issues.
Necrophilia in space.
There. Problem solved. You’re welcome.
According to Mike Mullane’s book, not only can you get one, it is more likely due to redistribution of bodily fluid in zero G.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.