Why Christina Koch will stay on the ISS for 11 months

Astronaut Christina Koch will set a record for the longest space flight of a woman during her 11-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2020. Her long stay aboard ISS relates to the preparation of NASA human missions on the Moon and Mars.

Dr. Koch's mission will give researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of a long-duration space flight on a woman, NASA said. The expected duration of his mission will be close to the longest space flight of a NASA astronaut – 340 days defined by former NASA astronaut, Scott Kelly, during his mission of one year. year in 2015-2016.

Lack of data

The mission has become necessary because most of the data available are from male astronauts. But the bodies of men and women react differently and health problems manifest themselves at different rates for men and women.

With this mission, researchers hope to better understand the adaptability of astronauts over long periods of exposure in space and better support the development of effective countermeasures to preserve the health of the crew .

Last month, NASA accepted the Donald Trump administration's challenge to send humans back to the moon by 2024, four years earlier than the US space agency's previous target.

"This time, when we go to the moon, we will stay. We will then use what we have learned on the moon to take the next giant step: send astronauts to Mars, "said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine at the time.

Ms. Koch's stay at the space station will eclipse Peggy Whitson's previous mark of 288 days for shipments 50-52 in 2016-17, NASA said.

Ms. Koch arrived on board the space station on March 14 to begin scientific research activities within the crew of Expedition 59. "It's an honor to follow in Peggy's footsteps", KNA told KNA, according to NASA.

At the same time, NASA's human research program continues to lay the groundwork for future year-long space station missions and has selected 25 proposals to study the biological, physiological and behavioral adaptations to space flight.

According to information from selected studies in future missions, NASA stated that it aims to reduce the risks associated with manned space travel: radiation, isolation and containment, distance from the Earth, gravity (or lack thereof) and hostile environments great risks to the mind and the human body in the space.