SpaceX's lunar loop will affect the health of passengers – here's how

When billionaire Yusaku Maezawa begins his journey around the moon with SpaceX, it would be better if he was ready to vomit.

Maezawa, who founded the Zozotown online fashion store, bought tickets for him and a handful of artists on SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket, which combines a massive 40-story booster and the Big Falcon Spaceship. Musk predicts that the flight will last between four and five days while tourists draw an eight around the Earth, Moon and again. These tourists may expect nausea, a small dose of radiation, and possibly friction between members of their group due to their isolation.

The short duration means that space tourists will not have to worry about what plagues the astronauts during long stays in space: Maezawa and his artist will probably not develop any visual or visual changes. bone mass and muscle microgravity of the space station, explains Petra Illig, medical specialist in aerospace medicine. "All of these things happen over long periods of time," she says. However, the flight of tourists into space will not be easy. "It's dangerous, to be clear," Musk said during Monday's announcement. "It's not a walk in the park here." And even if everything goes as planned, the challenges will begin on takeoff.

Image: SpaceX

As the rocket moves away from the Earth, the acceleration forces reach three times the force of gravity they are accustomed to, that is 3 G. This can put the heart to the test because it has trouble to pump blood to the head. If the passengers are not properly positioned, the blood could run out of their brains in their feet and they could faint, Illig says. It will therefore be important to control all space tourists to confirm that their heart is healthy enough for the trip. "You do not want people to faint or have heart attacks," Illig said. "You're stuck for the ride."

Once the rocket ceases to accelerate and microgravity sets in, passengers will feel weightless. And that's when vomiting is likely to start. "All participants who go into space must be prepared for motion sickness and be a bit confused about where they are and where they are," says Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientist of the Canadian Human Rights Research Program. The NASA. "It can be a little disconcerting if you're not prepared." Astronauts who have gone to space a few times have more flexibility to adapt, she says. But recruits like Maezawa and the artists who join him will not know how their bodies will react.

Image: SpaceX

This is because there is no terrestrial analogue to space sickness. Not seasickness or roller coaster. "We are earthly beings. We walk on flat surfaces. We have a horizon. Our balance organs depend on gravity, "says Illig. "So, there is no way to eliminate the gravity while you are on Earth and say," Let's see what you feel. The closest is a trip aboard an aircraft dubbed "the vomit comet". brief pushes of weightlessness from 20 to 30 seconds during parabolic flights. But, says Illig, the simulations are so brief that they are not a perfect predictor.

The good news is that nausea tends to go away in the early days, says Fogarty. But for a four- to five-day tour around the moon, it's most of the trip. "This period of discomfort is going to take a significant part of the initial experience of a tourist from space," says Sheryl Bishop, a professor at the University's Faculty of Medicine. of Texas, which studies human performance in extreme environments. According to Dr. Fogarty, anti-nausea drugs can help fight this disease, even though astronauts responsible for critical operations may have problems because these drugs can make them sleepy. For space tourists who just walk around, "they can still enjoy the view, they can still participate in activities as long as they are not determinant for the function of the vehicle," says Fogarty.

Image: SpaceX

One of the risks we hear a lot about is space radiation. According to NASA Radiation Protection Officer Edward Semones, ISS astronauts are protected from shock by the Earth's magnetic field and the very structure of the ISS. At a loop around the Moon, Maezawa and the artists who accompanied her would be exposed to a daily dose of radiation slightly higher than that of the ISS astronauts, but for a shorter period of time. At the end of the trip, they could feel about the same amount of radiation as a scanner, distributed throughout the body, says Semones.

This dose could skyrocket, however, if the sun spits rays of charged particles into what is called a solar particle event during the flight of tourists into space. According to Semones, the probability of this occurring during the four to five day trip is small. But if a solar particle event occurred, the ship's passengers could be exposed to six months of space radiation in a few days. In the worst-case scenario, which can lead to nausea and fatigue, Semones said, "The beginnings of what is called Acute Radiation Syndrome."

Image: SpaceX

NASA's strategies for keeping astronauts on the ISS's safety include an early warning system and places inside the ISS where the crew can shelter from radiation, Semones said. But we do not know what Musk has planned for his own passengers. In the past, he was jaded by the risks of radiation, and he did not discuss protective measures in the Monday night announcement.

Then there is the psychological risk of being locked in a sealed container with a handful of other people for days. "They must not panic," says Illig. "They can not just say," I have enough, bring me back. "That's why it will be essential for tourists in the space to attack the flight with clear expectations and understand their roles and responsibilities," says Fogarty … And one way to establish this would be to train the group before they leave Earth. "Just to see how people react to stressors, especially when there may be a conflict within the team, or if there is emergency events that you have to rally around and react to, "she says, she does not anticipate everything, but she could" relieve the anxiety of experiencing something totally new in an extreme environment ".

Musk also said that passengers will have to prepare for the flight. "It will require a lot of training," he said. "When you push the border, it's not certain." The good news is that there will be a lot of preparation time. The flight is not planned until 2023, and Musk admitted that even though it was not certain that SpaceX would meet this deadline: "We will do all that is humanly possible to put it into flight as quickly and safely as possible. we can."