Disease in space has been affecting astronauts for decades.
So, how will we respond to epidemics in space when they inevitably occur.
Since the dawn of the human exploration of space, illnesses and medical emergencies have stricken space travelers.
The first missions to space took just a single occupant beyond the bounds of Earth.
The number of people traveling on each mission went up to two, then three.
Lunar and Martian colonies would house hundreds to thousands of people.
Living in space also changes the way bodies react, and alter health under the best circumstances.
For this reason, NASA and other space agencies study the effects of space on the human body.
The immune system is disrupted, altering the way bodies react to infections.
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The immune system is very complex, and several aspects of immunity remain uninvestigated during spaceflight.
Due to their illnesses, the crew refused to wear helmets during reentry into the Earths atmosphere.
NASA was even once able to treat anastronautwho developed a blood clot while visiting the ISS.
Physical changes triggered by radiation may present problems keeping astronauts and space colonists healthy.
Another challenge for space travelers is that dormant viruses, like herpes simplex, can reawaken during space travel.
Visitors have spent a year or more aboard the International Space Station.
The video below shows a look at how the human immune reacts to the strange conditions of space.
Astronauts aboard the ISS are regularly tested to ensure once-dormant viruses are not re-activating.
Air circulating though the orbiting outpost is safe from both biological and chemical contaminants.
Answers to the challenges of epidemics on Earth much less onlunar or Martian colonies remains unanswered.
As we expandout into the solar system, epidemics are bound to follow us.
Maynard has been writing about space since he was 10, but hes still not Carl Sagan.
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you’re able to read this original piecehere.
