Space Flights – What are the safety risks today in comparison to the past?

Various science-fiction films like Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and others have constantly proved that traveling to space is an easy task. But films always have the potency to exaggerate and might not show what happens for real while traveling to outer space. However, in Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, we have seen how risky things can get in space.

Traveling to space has never been easy. It includes greater risks as it paves the way for major health hazards. The damaging radiation levels are potentially high for affecting human health. However, with the evolving technology, things around us are becoming much safer.

Commercial spaceflight companies have brought in simplified designs for their suborbital rockets. In a way, this has made space travel safer compared to the earliest days. In this article, we will discuss how space flights have been designed and compare the safety risks in the present day and the past.

Health hazards caused by space flights

In earlier days, technology was not that advanced, so there were greater risks of traveling to space. Regardless of the length of the mission, exposure to severe radiation and other harmful components in outer space affects human health. For the same reason, it affects the quality of life and their performance during the mission.

Some of the health hazards that are caused by space flights are:

• Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular syndrome
• Changes in behavioral health and degradation in performance.
• Exposure to space radiation might increase the risks of cognitive decrements, cancer and cardiovascular disease
• Health deterioration because of insufficient intake of healthy and nutritious food.

Space flights – reasons for major health hazards?

In the earlier days, technology was as advanced as it is now. So for the same reason, traveling to space included greater risks. Even though the rockets were made instilled with safety, there were mishaps for some reason or the other.

Since the human body has been designed so that it is highly affected whenever it faces alterations, in this case, humans travel directly from earth to outer space; there will be health hazards. Let us look at some of the reasons that pave the way for major health hazards while traveling to space.

●       Radiation

The first and foremost reason for human health hazards while traveling to space is radiation. Humans are greatly exposed to space radiation, which is, of course, very risky for health. In space tourism, the spacecraft leaves the earth’s surface, penetrating all the protecting layers of the atmosphere of the earth.

When an astronaut is exposed to harmful radiation during space travel, it increases cancer risk and alters cognitive function. It also damages the central nervous system of the human body and reduces motor functions, thereby bringing in several changes in human behavior.

●       Confinement and Isolation

Space flights are not only used for space tourism but also for research works that are conducted in outer space. Space scientists are trained in such a way so that they can travel to space and can survive there for long days, months and even years. However, not everyone is permitted to travel. Before they are sent off to outer space, experts will carefully choose them based on their work effectiveness.

On earth, we have the luxury of connecting with everything around us, but in outer space, astronauts are mostly in isolation. This confinement might lead to several issues like circadian desynchronization, sleep loss, excessive workload etc. With such issues, astronauts might have to face adverse health issues, compromised objectives of the mission, and performance deteriorations.

●       Distance

We might feel that the distance between earth and space is not much because it doesn’t require much time to travel. But in reality, space is far away from the earth. In case of any emergency, crew members are permissible to return to the surface of the earth.

The distance might sometimes make the astronauts feel obnoxious. So they must always be ready to confront any difficulties that impede their way. Since space is far from earth, it will require a lot of time for help to reach out. So the space flights are required to be held ready.

●       Lack of Gravity

As human beings, we are used to being within the proximity and presence of gravitational forces. But in space, there is no gravity, and astronauts can experience weightlessness. Even though astronauts are trained before space travel, flying is something that nobody is used to.

So once they return to the surface of the earth, they are required to readapt several systems of their body. All the muscles, bones and cardiovascular systems are highly impacted. So the transition from one field of gravity to another is largely effective.

●       Closed Space

A spacecraft is a vehicle that is closed from all sides. And astronauts live within this closed space for many days. The ecosystem within the confined space largely impacts their health. So they must receive the right amount of sleep, food and exercise to function normally.

Space tourism – how safe is space travel now?

With many historical cases of unsafe space travel, commercial spaceflight companies are working hard to make space travel safer. Present-day space tourism indeed has a safety advantage, and it has been made possible because of the suborbital rockets made out of simpler designs.

The leading commercial spaceflight companies, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, are working immensely hard for bringing out the best. They have been working for almost two decades to build safe suborbital rockets for space tourism.

The spacecraft has been designed intricately with advanced technology. When compared to earlier days, space travel has now become much safer. Since these space flights are suborbital, they won’t even stay in outer space for long hours. That means the safety risks are much lesser than that of the normal rockets of the earlier days.

Edge of Space – Safety risks of space flights

Even though Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have made space tourism possible, experts say space travel is always risky. Flying crewed spaceflight indeed contain greater risks than flying an uncrewed one. Even though all the space flights have been undergoing various research for many years, the risk lingers.

Safety Risks of Present-Day Commercial Spaceflight Companies

Unlike earlier days, commercial spaceflight companies have refined space tourism and made it safer. These companies are mostly working on suborbital rockets that will horizontally launch from the earth’s surface and return after some time.

Blue Origin

New Shepard, Blue Origin’s suborbital capsule is completely automated. The passengers cannot operate the system anyway and can only unbuckle and buckle themselves. They can also float around and experience weightlessness. The spacecraft is provided with massive windows so that tourists can glance at outer space.

Virgin Galactic

VSS Unity is also a suborbital spaceflight of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The spaceship has been taught safety measures to zero risks of traveling to outer space. This spaceship will also travel to space for around 11 minutes and return to the surface of the earth.

Why are Present Day Space Flights Safe?

The commercial spaceflight companies are manufacturing several space flights which are undergoing extensive safety tests. These space flights are also endowed with improved technology that reduces the health risks of any astronauts traveling in them.

With stifling innovation earlier, the best technologies were debarred from being manufactured. But now, safety is the major setback, and everyone is looking for ways to make space tourism safer.

To Conclude

Traveling to outer space always had greater risks. And experts said that with every passing day, as the technology improves and knowledge furnishes, space flight will become safer. But standing in the present day scenario, space tourism has become possible with the advent of commercial spaceflight companies. We can truly say that the technology has advanced, and the safety risks of space flights are comparatively lower than that of the earlier days.