Life In Space: Medicine Doctors Health Vitamins Exercise Diet.
Doctor Dentist Medicine And Health
It is not legal to give medical advice. But I will only repeat what is written on the subject of medicine in space. This work on medicine in space was for the time when there would be no doctors or dentists in space just astronauts. To simply consult a doctor or a dentist on the ground might not be possible at times. I the case of my early attempts I figured no medical or dental help of any kind for the me. The early astronauts could consult Houston for medical assistance from a doctor. The shuttle might have someone on board with a medical background. With this last set of cuts and the crew of the international space station going from 6 down to 3. The chances of a doctor or someone with a medical background on board have went down. It is sad.
The early astronauts had perfect or near perfect teeth to where there was little or no chance of lose filling even on the short flight. The safest approach when dealing with the unknown would be the to avoid all possibility of normal medical problems that could lead to big trouble on extended space flights. This meant that every early astronaut was the healthiest that could be found. In the book The Space Environment the author quote one other American author as saying, Unless astronauts have had their teeth removed there is no guarantee they will not have a severe toothache requiring either filling or removing. It is well know that the bones become lighter ie the calcification slows down it is possible that the teeth are also losing part of there enamel over long periods of time.
This is now the part about overall health. How do you feel when sick. The amount of medical questions dealing with health of the kind, have you ever or if you did what happen, the list of these question could be quite long. Knowing that a person reacts less to something can be an advantage. Medicines should be taken for pain relief of various kinds, antacids, eyedrops, eyewash, laxatives etc. Even a simple case of dysentery in the space shuttle could be a disaster in it's self.
These are just the medical problems not related to injury. With no doctor on board or no medical equipment a broken bone would be disaster. The suit for space might be made in such a way as to protect the worker. Note though that steel toed shoes or boots if hit or crushed will clamp around the toes. Any attempt to avoid serious medical type injury must not be considered safe from harm. The possible chances of injury when they are know should be considered as problems to avoid. A wrench slipping and the arm or hand being cut are not the same thing as if this flies off the suit will protect me. We have video now to show something to the ground but there is no substitute the eyes or hands of a doctor.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are important and in most processed food the ones that are temperature sensitive vitamins are destroyed. A good vitamin mineral supplement would be important. If constructing a sphere or station to grow food. Vitamins would still be important till all the food groups are covered by the foods grown on the sphere or station. For this kind of a situation vitamins and minerals should be separate vitamins A one pill, D one pill, the B vitamins on pill the C vitamins iron zinc and so on. These are to insure a balance vitamins in the diet. Even on the shuttle these would be useful for balancing the diet when person just does not feel like eating something.
Knowledge of how much of what vitamins and minerals is in what foods would be important. There are certain vitamins though that if one takes 400% percent have side effects. Most notable side effect is mental dulling and lose of energy. There is also a condition called hyper-vitaminism where after taking mega doses of some vitamins people require that or more to be healthy. They have stopped digesting those vitamins correctly. It would be a good idea to way beyond what I am writing on vitamins and minerals here. There was a very good book on the subject of vitamins and minerals I read it was Earl Mindlesen Vitamin Bible it was put out in the 1970s. The minerals are also covered in this book. Life in space in a shuttle sphere or a space station would require more knowledge. Life itself being an experiment in progress.
Diet and Exercise
Diet is important and the types of foods that are taken should supply food value and also taste. There is no reason that the crew or personal whether on a shuttle, sphere or station should be required to consume food that is not enjoyable. If possible in a 1 G environments the textures crunchiness etc., should be preserved. Taking the foods that would be good diet foods to eat when output, either work or exercise levels are low so that diet matches the output. People should not be asked to just eat less people will still want to eat or taste something. Using exercise to supplement work for a healthier living must be considered important. While this in not to considered level exercise need for competitive training. It should be the type to allow normal activities to resume when possible or attend to emergence situations. It should be stressed that there will be a large loss of strength and endurance if the exercise is not hard or thorough enough, so that a person knows when they might be slipping. Even something like a mini game of hand ball might be exercise yet be fun. Slapping ball to bounce off wall and then floor within in 6 inches of the . The spheres would be the best for exercise, the station second and the Hybrid-X Shuttle setup for .7G being about even with the station in environment for life and exercise.
Bob L. Petersen
The scaling down of operation on the International Space Station is indeed sad.
Bob Petersen
