How space exploration prepares humans for long journeys

Space exploration is the physical investigation of outer space by robotic probes and human spaceflight, and the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957. What must people understand to prepare for long journeys in space? The lessons consider the demands of extended missions and the ways people can be supported beyond Earth.

2 articles, 1 video, 1 book · about 52 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   space exploration · Wikipedia · 40 min read

   Space travel can adversely affect crew members' biological clocks, sleep patterns, and social interaction, causing sleep deprivation and fatigue; prolonged residence in Low Earth Orbit can result in mental and physical exhaustion, a concern for maintaining crew health and mission safety on long space journeys. Space exploration's first successful human spaceflight was Vostok 1 ("East 1"), carrying the 27-year-old Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, on 12 April 1961. The spacecraft completed one orbit around the globe, lasting about 1 hour and 48 minutes. Space exploration reached a milestone when Salyut 1 became the first space station of any kind, launched into low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1971.

2. Read
   

   A brief history of human spaceflight in the United States · Astronomy Magazine · 5 min read

   Project Gemini, which ran from 1961 to 1966, served as a bridge to the Moon and tested astronauts' ability to fly long-term space missions lasting up to two weeks, helping prepare humans for long space journeys.

3. Watch
   

   Why the SpaceX NASA Mission is a Landmark For Astronaut Spaceflight · YouTube · 7 min watch

   A commercial company plans the first crewed flight to the International Space Station, launched from American soil on a Falcon 9 with a Dragon Crew spacecraft. The mission marks the start of commercial spaceflight, with possible links to space tourism.

4. Book
   

   The Martian · Bookshop.org

   The Martian by Andy Weir focuses on Mark Watney's first walk on Mars and his determination to keep going despite expecting to die there, describing the risks and uncertainty of being stranded on another world.

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