This article was originally published on The conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Elisa Raffaella Ferrè, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway
For the first time in 11 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) is recruiting new astronauts. Applications will be opened on 31 March 2021 for eight weeks, followed by a six-phase selection process to identify the next generation of European astronauts.
By 2030, humans will be walking on the lunar surface again, traveling to Mars and possibly enjoying holidays under orbitals. The new space age will offer us all enormous benefits. It will push technologies if we find ways to live sustainably outside of planet Earth, it will create exciting jobs and generate new socio-economic opportunities.
Recruiting new astronauts is the first step in this new era of human space exploration. Many people have dreamed of becoming an astronaut since childhood, but do you have what it takes?
Related: How to become an astronaut
The criteria
Becoming an astronaut is neither simple nor easy. Esa is looking for candidates with different profiles and backgrounds. However, there are some minimum requirements.
Candidates must be proficient in scientific disciplines, with a university degree in physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering or medicine. They must have operational and leadership skills and preferably have flying experience. However, there are many other skills that can be a real asset to selection, such as wilderness experience, teamwork and adaptability, self-control and language proficiency.
This time, Esa opens up its criteria regarding the physical ability of applicants and encourages those with physical disabilities to apply if they would otherwise pass the bill. It is part of a project investigating the best way to adapt aerospace for astronauts with disabilities.
Related: 15 Space tips from an astronaut
The physical challenges
Advances in technology have not only enabled us to deliver people into space, but also to live in space.
However, these longer space missions present far greater challenges to human health and performance than the challenges currently facing astronauts. Unprecedented distance, duration, isolation and increasingly autonomous operations will be combined with prolonged exposure to another type of gravity on Earth – such as weightlessness or the partial gravity on the Moon and Mars.
Space is a hostile environment for human health, with extreme temperatures, lack of atmospheric pressure, microgravity, solar and galactic cosmic radiation and high-speed micrometeorites.
Radiation is considered one of the most threatening space hazards. On Earth, the planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere protect us from most of the particles that make up the spatial radiation environment. Even short-term exposure to space radiation can be extremely dangerous to health. Radiation has been shown to increase the risk of cancer, damage the central nervous system, alter cognitive functions, reduce motor control and influence behavior.
Read more: An astronaut has found a blood clot in space – now our study shows how you can best protect the crew
Passing from the gravity of the earth to the other is also more difficult than it sounds. Exposure to non-terrestrial gravity leads to dramatic structural and functional changes in human physiology, including changes in the cardiovascular, neural, and musculoskeletal systems.
Upon entering microgravity, for example, pressure is removed from the body tissue, causing fluids to migrate from the legs to the torso and head – you may have noticed astronauts’ puffy faces. As a result, the face becomes worst due to the pressure changes in the brain. Changes were observed in the muscles shrinking and absorbing extra tissues due to their lack of use, and in the bones losing about 15% of their structural density.
The spiritual challenges
The cognitive, psychological and psychosocial challenges are the main problems that people face in long-term flights. Living in a confined space, far from home, in gravity, for long periods of time with other people is not an easy task.
Dealing with microgravity is extremely difficult for the human brain. During their first few days of weightlessness, between 40% and 60% of astronauts experience a condition called space adaptation disease. It causes symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, headache, cold sweats, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Consequences range from mild discomfort to impaired cognitive performance. For this reason, no activities outside the vehicle or space walks are allowed during the first few days of space missions.
Read more: Astronauts are experts in isolation, that’s what they can teach us
Psychosocial changes were also observed in astronauts. Some showed a reduced ability to communicate, less interaction with other crew members and a tendency to be more focused on themselves. Motivational deterioration, fatigue, and social stress can easily be caused by isolation and confinement in an extremely demanding and life-threatening environment.
It is therefore not surprising that the attention that space agencies pay to cognitive and psychological requirements when selecting new astronauts. Candidates must demonstrate good reasoning ability, memory and concentration, the ability to work with others, low aggression and emotional stability to cope with the level of stress and emergencies that may arise during space travel.
Long-range spaceflight has revealed a multitude of challenges to crews in the spatial environment. Years of physical and psychological training, as well as medical and operational support during flight, will equip astronauts with excellent tools to cope with the stresses of the aerospace environment. This is not an easy job, but definitely a one-time opportunity.
This article was published from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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