Surviving the Void

1. Surviving the Void Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars A journey through the stars

2. Co-evolution of Life Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars Life in space

3. Co-evolution of Life • Ever since man has started studying the sky, people have always tried to find another home in space, looking for planets that might allow life to develop, while also wondering whether or not life exists outside Earth. While modern technology can’t answer the big question, we can get an idea of how life in space would look like, something that might become possible in the next few years. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

4. contents references Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars the team exit

5. 1/2 Table of Contents Health risks of life in space Life-favorable environments Life support environments This chapters focuses on issues that concern the health of the crew of a manned space mission or, generally speaking, any risks of life in space. Subjects include nutrition, body health, mental disorders and medical care. The subject of this chapter is the search for new systems that might allow life development and studying what makes such a system habitable. This part of the project is about the development (design, construction and maintenance) of life support environments at any scale, placed in a spacecraft or in a solar system body. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars Go Go Go

6. 2/2 Table of Contents Sending Messages in Space One way of searching for extraterrestrial life is sending messages in space and waiting for an answer. While this method could take centuries before giving back any results, many scientists consider it worth a try. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars Go main slide

7. Living in the VoidHealth risks • One of the most important aspects of establishing an out-of-Earth camp, be it a Space Station or some sort of settlement on an asteroid, is protecting ourselves from all the bad stuff that happens with our body when we’re not on Earth. • There are several problems with spending a lot of time in the outer space. Solar radiation, lack of gravity, your legs shrinking and many more can cause serious problems to the astronauts. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

8. Background Cosmic Rays and Solar Radiation • One of the biggest problems with extraterrestrial settlements is protecting yourself from the deadly cosmic rays. While on Earth, the magnetic field stops this radiation from reaching you. Once you leave the magnetic field, there’s nothing left to protect you. • The cosmic rays, which are 90% protons (hydrogen nuclei),8-9% helium and 1% other nuclei, hit any kind of shielding, sometimes ripping the bonds between the shielding’s, creating microscopic “shrapnel” that is just as dangerous as the radiation. Because of this, the best materials for shielding are the lightest ones. Shielding made out of lead would be worse than no shielding. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

9. The Earth’s magnetic field protecting us from a coronal mass ejection. (image: NASA) [1] Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

10. Taking all this into consideration, the best material would be the lightest one, hydrogen, but you can’t really make spaceship walls out of hydrogen, can you? Right now, scientists are experimenting with graphite nanofiber enriched with trapped hydrogen, The big advantage this technology has is the lightness of the nanofiber, making it a lot easier to transport than other materials, given the $10.000/kg launch price. • Other ways of reducing the radiation levels are water or using some kind of polyethylene. The downside is that the amount of water needed would be huge, making the ship a lot heavier. • One idea would be creating a heavily shielded room where the entire crew could retreat in case of tremendous amounts of cosmic radiation coming in their direction. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

11. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [2]

12. Effects of exposure to radiation • The reason we fear cosmic rays so much is the effect they have on our bodies. Studies have shown that exposure can cause cancer or increase the risk of developing some sort of cancer later in life, heart problems and, one of the biggest concerns at this moment, neurological risks (problems with the central nervous system). Studies have shown that exposure can harm the brain, accelerating the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and killing up to 5% of the cells/mission, while, for each year astronauts spend in space, one third of their DNA is hit directly by heavy ions. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

13. Unfortunately, with today’s technology and weight limits imposed by the economy, there is no safe way of preventing exposure to radiation. While there are certain drugs that boost the body’s regeneration power and all sorts of materials that offer some degree of protection, the best thing to do is to choose astronauts with genetic resistance to radiation and no smoking history. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

14. Solar Radiation [3] Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

15. Dealing With the Lack of Gravity • Weightlessness is probably the first thing any astronaut notices when they leave Earth. • While many astronauts like the freedom weightlessness offers, there are a lot of downsides to it. Many changes take place in the human body in the absence of gravity. Luckily, man can adapt to almost any conditions. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

16. Body Changes • In the absence of gravity, signals from the vestibulary system and the pressure receptors are tremendously misleading. The human body adapts to this, the eyes becoming the main source of information, making “down” where your feet are pointing. While this happens, the human body suffers what scientists call “Space Adaptation Syndrome” which one astronaut wryly described as "a fancy term for throwing up". Most astronauts experience this, the main symptoms being nausea, vomiting, headaches and inability to concentrate. While those go away after a few days, the astronauts have to go through another adaptation period when they return home. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

17. There are a number of drugs that ameliorate the symptoms of space adaptation syndrome. However, they are not always used since it is considered better to let the astronauts adapt to space conditions. They are used as a backup measure when performing extra-vehicular activities, since vomiting in the spacesuit could be fatal. This is why EVAs are not performed during the accommodation days. • All astronauts go through High-G training while on Earth, a special program designed for people who are subject to high levels of acceleration. It is designed to prevent a g-induced Loss of Consciousness, which happens when g-forces move the blood away from the brain to the extent that consciousness is lost. In a spaceship, this could be fatal. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

18. While on Earth, all the body fluids are attracted by gravity and pulled to the ground, where our feet are, creating different pressures in our body. Pumping blood against the gravity requires strong heart muscles. However, with the lack of gravity goes away the need of strong muscles, leading to a weak heart. Also, the liquids are no longer pulled towards the ground, as there is no “ground”, causing the legs to shrink. • Some problems that are considered more “serious” include the drop of the red blood cell count by 20%, causing anemia when returning on Earth. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

19. Bones and muscle are what holds are body against the gravity. With no gravity, bone and muscle lose their function and some peculiar things start happening. • First, you get taller. Without the compressive force caused by gravity, the spinal column expands. Unfortunately, this can also cause backaches. • The second thing that happens is that you start losing bone mass, up to 1% of your bones going away each month. In microgravity, the body has no need to preserve it’s Earth structure, absorbing bone tissue but not replacing it. This can cause high calcium levels in other parts of the body, leading to kidney stones. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

20. While in space, you also suffer from muscle atrophy. While they can’t reverse the process, 2-3 hours of running on the treadmill every day in microgravity or some kind of artificial gravity and special compression suits that force the body fluid into the legs can help slow down the changes that occur in the body. Also, almost every astronaut suffers from eye problems caused by intracranial pressure. • The last way space affects astronauts is by attacking their minds. Sooner or later, astronauts go through a period of high stress. Data collected from the Russian MIR station shows that astronauts display signs of fatigue and low motivation. This condition was called Crew Cabin Fever. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

21. Artificial Gravity • Most of the problems presented before can be solved by implementing artificial gravity in the settlement/spaceship. • The artificial gravity could be created by one of the following means: • Linear acceleration even at a low level, can provide sufficient g-force to provide useful benefits. Any spacecraft could, in theory, continuously accelerate in a straight line, forcing objects inside the spacecraft in the opposite direction of the direction of acceleration. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

22. A rotating spaceship will create the feeling of gravity on its inside hull. The rotation sends any object inside the spacecraft toward the hull, thereby giving the appearance of a gravitational pull directed outward. Often referred to as a centrifugal force, the "pull" is actually a manifestation of the objects inside the spacecraft attempting to travel in a straight line due to inertia. The artificial gravity will be created by inducing a circular motion: The system has been created with utmost precision and they have been tested in the worst conditions, so as to eliminate any problems. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

23. Another way of creating artificial (or rather natural, given the case) gravity is by introducing a very dense object in the spaceship. However, its mass would have to be enormous. An asteroid could work, but the gravitational pull would be so weak it would be impractical. • A similar effect to gravity has been creating through diamagnetism. A system using very strong magnets could even create a field stronger than 1g. However, the mass of the magnets would be huge. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

24. Nautilus-X International space station centrifuge Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [4]

25. Food and nutrition • Astronauts on a spaceship would have to be vegetarians, since meat can’t be properly preserved in space. The food would be grown in the ship, in a special greenhouse, like people at the South Pole do. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars contents

26. Finding Life-Favorable Environments • If you want to search for extraterrestrial life you first need to decide where you want to begin your search. You can’t target random planets and study them. One idea is to gather as much information about what makes life possible on Earth and find planets that are similar. Also, in order for the planet to meet the criteria, the whole solar system the star belongs to must meet a set of requirements. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

27. Suitable Star Systems • While there are a lot of planets that resemble the Earth in one way or another, it is important that the whole system be compatible with life. Therefore, there are a few requirements for the stars: • The stars must: • Be of spectral class early F or G to mid-K (4000-7000K). These stars live at least a few billion years, allowing life a chance to evolve. They also emit just enough UV radiation as to trigger atmospheric dynamics, while liquid water on the surface of the planets won’t induce tidal locking. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

28. Have a stable habitable zone. This means that the HZ (the zone around a star where liquid water is likely to exist) must not vary a lot over time and no gas giants that would prevent the formation of Earth-like planets must be there. • Not display changes in luminosity. A stable, low stellar variation is essential, allowing for a stable energy and light output from the star. • Have high metallicity. A high proportion of metals in a star correlates to the amount of heavy material initially available in the protoplanetary disk. A low amount of metal significantly decreases the probability that planets will have formed around that star. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

29. Planetary Characteristics • Mass • Low mass planets tend to be bad candidates for two reasons: • The low mass means their gravity is weaker, thus making atmosphere retention difficult. T • The high surface to volume ration means these planets tend to lose the energy generated when they’re born, leading to a dead planet, with no volcanoes, earthquakes and tectonic activity. Also, larger planets are more likely to have an iron core which can generate a magnetic field that protects the planet from cosmic rays. • A planet must have at least 0.3 solar mass in order to be considered habitable. However, in some extreme cases, a few satellites might be considered habitable, despite their low mass. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

30. Orbit and Rotation • The orbit must be as round as possible, in order to minimize temperature differences. While life can adapt, extreme changes are not good. • The planet should rotate relatively quickly so that the day-night cycle is not overlong. If a day takes years, the temperature differential between the day and night side will be pronounced, and problems similar to those noted with extreme orbital eccentricity will come to the fore. Also, a planet that spins to slowly might overheat. • The planet should also rotate quickly enough so that a magnetic dynamo may be started in its iron core to produce a magnetic field. • The planet can’t be too close to a star, in order to prevent tidal locking (orbital motion and spinning are synchronized). Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

31. Image showing the area considered habitable and the the zone where planets get tidal locked to the star. The Earth is located in the habitable zone, allowing evolution of life. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [5]

32. Water and Energy • The two most important things when looking for other habitable planets are water and an energy source. • For life as we know it, water is vital. This might prove unnecessary if life form that’s not dependent on water is discovered. However, water is not used only for drinking; it is a very effective polar molecule and hence an excellent solvent and facilitator for the complex chemistry of life. • An energy source is very important in order for any kind of life to prosper. Without energy nothing is possible. • A table showing the needs of a habitable world can be found here. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

33. Using the moon for energy • One source of extraterrestrial energy might be our very own Moon. It is believed that the Moon is abundant with helium-3, a light, non-radioactive isotope of helium. This isotope may be used in nuclear fusion, giving large amounts of energy and being relatively safe. Two pounds of helium-3 can produce up to 20mW of energy. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [6]

34. Finding habitable planets • One way of finding a planet that may be habitable is to look for one that meets all the criteria before. Some other ways include looking for an oxygen rich atmosphere, since oxygen is consumed rather quickly, which would mean there is a biological mechanism that replaces oxygen. • By measuring radial velocity (the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight) scientist can find new planets that might be able to support life. This is how the planets situated around the red dwarf Gliese 581 were discovered. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

35. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars contents [7]

36. Developing Life Support Environments • Because of the increasing durations of space missions, it is clear that future human exploration of space will be based on biological life support systems which utilize plants and microorganism. • While we are able to carry enough food, water and air to keep the crew alive for a short time, extended duration missions like the ISS requires resupplying life support components at certain intervals. • During certain missions, like creating a settlement on Mars, the development of renewable life support system is necessary. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

37. Supplying plant canopies withenergy • When plants grow, the lower leaves usually get shaded by the leaves on top, resulting in lower photosynthetic efficiency. The primary purpose of this area of research is to investigate the potential value of adding light to the lower leaves of a dense plant canopy for the purpose of improving photosynthetic efficiency and increasing basic life support requirements for oxygen, water, and removal of carbon dioxide. • Research to date has shown that by adding light to the lower canopy, increases in net oxygen, water, biomass production and carbon dioxide removal can be achieved. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

38. Hypobaric Plant Growth • The pressure on Mars is a lot smaller than the one on Earth (less than one percent). Scientist have always wondered whether plants could thrive at pressures lower than that on Earth. • The CES research team has designed a prototype variable pressure growth chamber, which is currently undergoing tests. Results will be out in two years. During this time, fourteen hypobaric plant growth chambers will be constructed, providing a venue for research on this subject. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

39. Hypobaric plant growth chambers Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [8]

40. Water Walls • The human race does not belong in space, and this is reflected in the fact that we can only survive in certain environmental conditions: oxygen to breath, clean water etc. • When traveling in space, spacecraft carry tons of equipment designed to make human life in space possible. • One solution that might help solve this problem is the use of walls filled with water, working by the principle of forward osmosis and filtering water, air and even helping food growth. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

41. The “Water Walls” are designed to mimic the way nature filters air and produces oxygen, without having to rely on any mechanical or “artificial” means. • According to current design proposals, polyethylene bags or tanks would be inserted into the hull of the spacecraft. These containers would be fitted with one or more forward osmosis membranes to provide the chemical processing of waste. There would be separate cells or modules for each life-support function, from air processing for CO2 removal and O2 revitalization to black and grey water processing. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

42. Water Walls design by NASA [9] Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

43. Space Suits • If you want to go anywhere in space, you will probably need a space suit. They are one of the key aspects of space traveling and are a vital part of any mission. • Over the course of time, space suit design has changed. The principle behind them remains the same: maintaining an environment that will keep a person alive in the harsh conditions of space. These include pressure, temperature and safety controls. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

44. Characteristics of Space Suits • Must be able to retain a stable internal pressure • To make this work, engineers have developed systems that allow people to breathe pure oxygen at a lower temperature than inside Earth’s atmosphere, • Must be able to regulate the temperature inside • The temperature in space varies greatly (-160-120 degrees Celsius). This requires the suit to be heavily insulated and the inside to be kept at a stable temperature using liquid cooling or other systems. • They also have to be shielded against cosmic rays and radiation from the sun Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

45. The Future of Space Suits • The weight of the space suit has always been a problem for astronauts. Current development of new suits focuses on making them as light as possible. • The newest models of space suits that might replace the old model are known as Mark III and the I-Suit, both under construction by ILC Dover. • The new model incorporates nitrogen into the breathing system, thus reducing the internal pressure caused by the use of nearly pure oxygen. This will also make decompression sickness unlikely. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

46. Another great idea was the development of an “outside” space suit, called a suitport, which replaces the airlock. The suitport detaches from the ship and the astronaut can conduct EVAs. • The main advantage over the airlock is the fact that the mass and volume of the suitport are a lot smaller, while it can also reduce the problem of dust mitigation. This is important because during the Apollo missions it was discovered that lunar soil is charged with electricity and adheres to any surface. • This is a big threat to any mission, because the abrasive nature of the dust might wear down surfaces, damage optical lenses, solar panels, windows and wiring, while also causing damage to the astronaut’s health by injuring the lungs. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

47. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars contents [10]

48. Searching for Extraterrestrial Life • Searching for extraterrestrial life has always been one of the favorite activities of people all over the world. Leading scientists actually believe that we we will be making contact with other life forms in as few as two decades. • One very important machine that helps us in the quest of finding aliens is the Kepler telescope, lauched by NASA on the 7th of March 2009. • The instrument is constantly scanning the same 100,000 stars over its four-year mission with the exciting objective of discovering Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones around suns, allowing researchers at SETI to find the best candidates for a “second Earth”. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

49. The Kepler spacecraft [11] Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars

50. Surviving the Void - a Journey Through the Stars [12]