Unit E Lesson 10: Surviving in Space
Completion requirements
Unit E Lesson 10: Surviving in Space
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Learning Targets |
Big Question: What technologies could humans use to survive in space?
Many science fiction books and movies have speculated about what we would need to do to live in space. Humans have already lived for more than a year in space aboard the ISS.
Many science fiction books and movies have speculated about what we would need to do to live in space. Humans have already lived for more than a year in space aboard the ISS.
At the end of this inquiry, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is microgravity?
- How is the human body affected by microgravity?
- How are a personβs basic needs met while living on the ISS?
Pages 418 to 422 in your textbook will help you answer these questions.
Introduction
Understanding the space environment
You have probably heard Earth compared to a spaceship, one that already contains everything that humans need as we travel through space. Unfortunately, as soon as humans leave Earth, all of the items that sustain us on Earth disappear.
If you were transported suddenly to outer space, the first thing that you might notice about your new environment is the lack of oxygen. As a vacuum with no atmosphere, outer space contains no oxygen and no water. On Earth, moisture in the air maintains the water cycle and it helps to regulate the temperature. Without water in the air, outer space has widely varying temperatures.
The human body has evolved to withstand the gravitational force always present on Earth. In outer space, the gravitational forces are greatly reduced. This environmental condition is referred to as microgravity.
Read pages 418 to 420 in the Science in Action 9 textbook to learn more about space hazards and microgravity.
You have probably heard Earth compared to a spaceship, one that already contains everything that humans need as we travel through space. Unfortunately, as soon as humans leave Earth, all of the items that sustain us on Earth disappear.
If you were transported suddenly to outer space, the first thing that you might notice about your new environment is the lack of oxygen. As a vacuum with no atmosphere, outer space contains no oxygen and no water. On Earth, moisture in the air maintains the water cycle and it helps to regulate the temperature. Without water in the air, outer space has widely varying temperatures.
The human body has evolved to withstand the gravitational force always present on Earth. In outer space, the gravitational forces are greatly reduced. This environmental condition is referred to as microgravity.
Read pages 418 to 420 in the Science in Action 9 textbook to learn more about space hazards and microgravity.
Figure 1 β Spacesuit design must take into account the harshness of space.
Watch
Astronaut Chris Hadfield and the Challenges of Living in Space
Watch the following videos to understand the challenges of daily life on a space station.
Watch the following videos to understand the challenges of daily life on a space station.
Establishing a Home in Space
To survive in space, we must take all of the items that are essential for survival and that currently exist only on Earth. Imagine packing for a camping trip and needing to take everything that you eat, drink, and use for the entire trip β but it still must be light enough that you can carry it. Packing for space is the same idea, but you also need to pack the air to have your own atmosphere.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project of five participating space agencies:
The ISS is intended as a research laboratory and staging base for future missions. Unlike early space missions that lasted only days, the ISS allows astronauts to stay in space for up to six months.
To survive in space, we must take all of the items that are essential for survival and that currently exist only on Earth. Imagine packing for a camping trip and needing to take everything that you eat, drink, and use for the entire trip β but it still must be light enough that you can carry it. Packing for space is the same idea, but you also need to pack the air to have your own atmosphere.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project of five participating space agencies:
- The United States (NASA)
- Russia (Roskosmos)
- Japan (JAXA)
- Europe (ESA)
- Canada (CSA)
The ISS is intended as a research laboratory and staging base for future missions. Unlike early space missions that lasted only days, the ISS allows astronauts to stay in space for up to six months.
Figure 2 β An artist's rendering of the International Space Station.
Interactive
International Space Station
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The BrainPOP video, International Space Station, reviews how the ISS was established.
Click here to watch the video.
You will need a username and password to access the video.
- Username: 0099
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Password: students
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Click here to complete the quiz on the
International Space Station. Remember to check your answers at the end!
Technologies for Surviving in Space
Sustaining a crew of astronauts in space requires creative solutions and careful planning. To reduce the supplies taken on the spacecraft, technologies have been developed to supply water, oxygen, and protection needed for long-term survival in outer space.
The Space Suit
Scientists can use technology to develop a habitable environment on the International Space Station, but outside of the spacecraft, outer space is still a hostile environment. Working outside the spacecraft is often necessary for maintenance and research, so the astronauts have a special space suit to use when they must perform EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity).
Read pages 421 to 422 in the Science in Action 9 textbook to learn more about how water and oxygen are handled on the ISS.
Sustaining a crew of astronauts in space requires creative solutions and careful planning. To reduce the supplies taken on the spacecraft, technologies have been developed to supply water, oxygen, and protection needed for long-term survival in outer space.
The Space Suit
Scientists can use technology to develop a habitable environment on the International Space Station, but outside of the spacecraft, outer space is still a hostile environment. Working outside the spacecraft is often necessary for maintenance and research, so the astronauts have a special space suit to use when they must perform EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity).
Read pages 421 to 422 in the Science in Action 9 textbook to learn more about how water and oxygen are handled on the ISS.
Water Recycling
Water is very heavy and bulky to transport. Using a water recycling system that can filter and recycle all the water on the spacecraft is cheaper and more efficient. If it seems disgusting, just remember that it is just a smaller version of the water cycle on Earth.
Air Recycling
Because water molecules are the combination of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, scientists can use electrolysis to produce oxygen from water. Although your textbook reports that the carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts is vented overboard, NASA has more recently begun using a Sabatier reactor to combine the oxygen from the carbon dioxide with the hydrogen left over from electrolysis to produce more water. The following reaction represents a simplified reaction of the processes that occur in the Sabatier reactor.
CO2 + 4H2 β CH4 + 2H20
Water is very heavy and bulky to transport. Using a water recycling system that can filter and recycle all the water on the spacecraft is cheaper and more efficient. If it seems disgusting, just remember that it is just a smaller version of the water cycle on Earth.
Air Recycling
Because water molecules are the combination of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, scientists can use electrolysis to produce oxygen from water. Although your textbook reports that the carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts is vented overboard, NASA has more recently begun using a Sabatier reactor to combine the oxygen from the carbon dioxide with the hydrogen left over from electrolysis to produce more water. The following reaction represents a simplified reaction of the processes that occur in the Sabatier reactor.
CO2 + 4H2 β CH4 + 2H20
Watch
Life Support on the ISS
Watch the following videos to learn more about life support on the ISS, and how space suit design is extremely important.
Watch the following videos to learn more about life support on the ISS, and how space suit design is extremely important.