Study: Humans Need to Create Earth-like Conditions to Survive in Space

Study: Humans Need to Create Earth-like Conditions to Survive in Space

American researchers suggest in a new study that humans will need to create very Earth-like conditions to survive for long periods in space.

The study comes as the American space agency NASA prepares to return astronauts to the moon with its Artemis program. NASA recently announced its next crew of astronauts who will take part in a test mission to fly around the moon. In the more distant future, NASA plans to launch missions to Mars.

The study was recently published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. It describes conditions that would likely be needed to support long-term human life in space or on other planets. The study was carried out by a team from Cornell University in New York state and the Norfolk Institute in Virginia.

The study centered on issues such as dealing¹ with gravity and oxygen in space, collecting water, developing agriculture and getting rid of waste in space.

One of the researchers was Morgan Irons, a doctoral student at Cornell. She cooperated with other scientists to explore important physical needs humans would require during future space travel.

She said in a statement that life in space would require a "natural ecosystem²" to support humans and their necessary equipment. "Without these kinds of systems, the mission fails," Irons added.

Another co-writer of the study was Lee Irons. He is Morgan's father and heads the Norfolk Institute, a group that seeks to "work toward the resiliency" of humans on Earth and in space.

Lee Irons said one of the biggest problems for humans in space will be issues related to gravity. Humans experience lower levels of gravity in space. He noted³ that a lack of gravity can change the fluid pressure in living things. This can lead to health problems for humans living in space.

"An example of gravity imbalance would be the negative effect on the eyesight of humans in Earth orbit," Lee Irons said. This would be a problem in space because an individual would not have the weight necessary to keep the same fluid pressure the body was used to on Earth.

The researchers said they first had to study the long-term physical needs of humans – both on Earth and in space. They are proposing that space mission planners seek to find ways "to recreate the same evolutionary⁴, ecological⁵, networks that make Earth successful."

Morgan Irons said billions of dollars could be wasted on setting up a space settlement only to see it fail. "Because even with all other systems in place, you need gravity."

She added, "There is just no other place in space where there is 1G of gravity; that just doesn't exist anywhere else in our solar system. That's one of the first problems we must solve." 1g is another term for what scientists call "normal gravity," or the gravity that exists on the Earth's surface. It can be measured as the rate of speed at which an object travels when falling to the ground, NASA explains.

The team says oxygen is another important consideration. The researchers say space agencies would need to build high-technology main and backup oxygen systems to support long-term human life in space. But what if they fail?

One suggestion from the study is to deploy⁶ living things to produce oxygen. "Think of the hundreds of thousands of species of plants that make oxygen," Lee Irons said. He added that that kind of system would be needed to support long-term missions in space and on planets.

The other main requirement would be a huge amount of energy from the sun, the study suggests. The researchers noted that as astronauts travel farther from the sun, they will be able to collect less and less solar energy.

"You'll need a lot of energy," Lee Irons said. "Otherwise powering the ecological system of an outpost will be like trying to run your car on a cell phone battery."

Words in This Story

mission – n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task

resiliency –n. the ability to become healthy and strong after a setback⁷ or something bad happens

negative – n. not expecting good outcomes

evolution – n. the theory that changes in plants and animals happen because of natural processes over long periods of time

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

outpost – n. a small place that is far from large towns or cities, often where a government or company is represented

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

5 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

6 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

7 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。