<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, 7 Feb 2025 at 14:17, Giulio Prisco via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org" target="_blank">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Yes, but at the end I say:<br>
<br>
The logic of this seems very solid. However…<br>
...<br>
So forget what I said, and let’s build those little crewed outposts on<br>
the Moon and then Mars. Our mind children will likely take over one<br>
day, but let’s have some useful fun before.<br>
_______________________________________________</blockquote><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">It's only fun for humans on short trips, before they rush back to the safety of the earth environment.</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">Apart from the basic needs of supplies of food, water, fuel, medical treatment, etc., I asked a westernised version of DeepSeek R1 AI for a list of the medical problems that humans encounter while away from earth. See the impressive list below.</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">As Adrian says, for weak humans to leave earth long-term, they have to build earth-like environments (including gravity) to live in.</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">BillK</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">DeepSeek R1 AI - <br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">When humans venture beyond Earth's protective gravity and magnetic field, they face a complex array of medical challenges from radiation and microgravity. These risks manifest as both immediate physiological disruptions and long-term degenerative effects, requiring careful mitigation strategies for safe space exploration.<br><br>## Radiation Exposure Risks<br>- **Acute radiation sickness**: Doses exceeding 200 rad can cause nausea, vomiting, and bone marrow damage, with >1,000 rad being fatal[1][4]<br>- **Cancer risk**: Galactic cosmic rays increase lifetime cancer probability by damaging DNA and suppressing tumor-suppressing genes[2][5][9]<br>- **Central nervous system damage**: Linked to accelerated Alzheimer's disease progression and cognitive decline[2][9]<br>- **Cataracts**: Radiation-induced lens opacity observed in 39% of astronauts after 6-month ISS missions[2][5]<br>- **Immune suppression**: Lymphocyte damage increases infection susceptibility and reduces vaccine efficacy[2][8]<br><br>## Microgravity Effects<br>- **Muscle atrophy**: Up to 20% loss in calf muscle mass within 11 days[8][9]<br>- **Bone density loss**: 1-1.5% monthly reduction (vs 1% per decade on Earth), risking fractures and kidney stones[2][8]<br>- **Fluid redistribution**: Causes:<br>  - Puffy face syndrome and leg volume loss ("bird legs")[3]<br>  - Vision impairment from optic nerve swelling[2][8]<br>  - Balance disorders lasting years post-flight[2][3]<br>- **Cardiovascular deconditioning**: Includes orthostatic intolerance and reduced aerobic capacity[2][8]<br><br>| System | Short-Term Effects | Long-Term Consequences |<br>|--------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------|<br>| Vestibular | Space motion sickness (40-50% of astronauts)[3] | Permanent balance disorders[2] |<br>| Circulatory | Facial edema, nasal congestion | Atherosclerosis acceleration[8] |<br>| Skeletal | Acute back pain | Osteoporosis-like fragility[2][9] |<br><br>## Additional Health Threats<br>- **Immune dysfunction**: Reduced T-cell activity and altered cytokine production[6][8]<br>- **Microbiome disruption**: Increased virulence of pathogens like *Salmonella*[2]<br>- **Psychological stress**: Includes isolation-induced anxiety and sleep cycle disruption[2][8]<br>- **Telomere alterations**: Unexpected lengthening during flight with cancer risk implications[6]<br><br>The combination of **RIDGE factors** (Radiation, Isolation, Distance, Gravity fields, Environment) creates compounded health risks requiring multi-system countermeasures. While modern spacecraft shielding and optimized transit routes reduce Van Allen belt exposure to <1% of mission radiation dose[4], deep space exploration beyond Earth's magnetosphere remains a formidable physiological challenge demanding advances in protective technologies.<br><br>Citations:<br>[1] <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/29579/can-we-survive-van-allen-belt-radiation" target="_blank">https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/29579/can-we-survive-van-allen-belt-radiation</a><br>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_spaceflight_on_the_human_body" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_spaceflight_on_the_human_body</a><br>[3] <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spaceodyssey/healtheffects.shtml" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spaceodyssey/healtheffects.shtml</a><br>[4] <a href="https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/10/the-van-allen-belts-are-they-dangerous/" target="_blank">https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/10/the-van-allen-belts-are-they-dangerous/</a><br>[5] <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nuclear-medicine/articles/10.3389/fnume.2023.1225034/full" target="_blank">https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nuclear-medicine/articles/10.3389/fnume.2023.1225034/full</a><br>[6] <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/astronauts-face-health-risks-even-short-trips-space" target="_blank">https://www.science.org/content/article/astronauts-face-health-risks-even-short-trips-space</a><br>[7] <a href="https://www.physoc.org/magazine-articles/the-invisible-space-killers/" target="_blank">https://www.physoc.org/magazine-articles/the-invisible-space-killers/</a><br>[8] <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9818606/" target="_blank">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9818606/</a><br>[9] <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-020-00124-6" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-020-00124-6</a><br>[10] <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/21/132524/nasas-van-allen-probes-are-no-more-and-we-owe-them-a-lot/" target="_blank">https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/21/132524/nasas-van-allen-probes-are-no-more-and-we-owe-them-a-lot/</a><br>[11] <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223785/" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223785/</a><br>[12] <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230927-what-a-long-term-mission-in-space-does-to-the-human-body" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230927-what-a-long-term-mission-in-space-does-to-the-human-body</a><br>[13] <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-020-00124-6" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-020-00124-6</a><br>[14] <a href="https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/space_health/background/" target="_blank">https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/space_health/background/</a><br>[15] <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/stories/van-allen-belts/" target="_blank">https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/stories/van-allen-belts/</a><br>[16] <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/hazards/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/hazards/</a><br>[17] <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/astronauts-face-health-risks-even-short-trips-space" target="_blank">https://www.science.org/content/article/astronauts-face-health-risks-even-short-trips-space</a><br>[18] <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/smiii_problem7.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/smiii_problem7.pdf</a><br>[19] <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/hhp/space-radiation/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/hhp/space-radiation/</a><br>[20] <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2017/anthropogenic-effects-of-space-weather-0531" target="_blank">https://news.mit.edu/2017/anthropogenic-effects-of-space-weather-0531</a><br>[21] <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(24)00224-2/abstract" target="_blank">https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(24)00224-2/abstract</a><br>[22] <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/the-human-body-in-space/" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/the-human-body-in-space/</a><br>[23] <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222157/" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222157/</a><br>[24] <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/21/132524/nasas-van-allen-probes-are-no-more-and-we-owe-them-a-lot/" target="_blank">https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/21/132524/nasas-van-allen-probes-are-no-more-and-we-owe-them-a-lot/</a><br>[25] <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10896920/" target="_blank">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10896920/</a><br>[26] <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/academic-centers/space-medicine/translational-research-institute/space-health-resources/how-the-body-changes-in-space" target="_blank">https://www.bcm.edu/academic-centers/space-medicine/translational-research-institute/space-health-resources/how-the-body-changes-in-space</a><br>[27] <a href="https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/life/health-in-space/body-impact/" target="_blank">https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/en/life/health-in-space/body-impact/</a><br>[28] <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8550337/" target="_blank">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8550337/</a><br>----------------------------------</div></div></div>
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