By Disha Divakar, San Marin High School
Whether it was as kids pretending cardboard boxes were space shuttles or being fascinated by Star Wars, spaceflight has been a dream for many! In reality, we often forget the factors that have to be thought through when sending a human to space and a lot of times we don't always know of the infinite mysteries and possibilities the galaxy holds! In this interview, Ben Foehr (BS in Aerospace Engineering and Grad Student studying Human Spaceflight at CU Boulder) dives more into his work and emphasis on Bioastronautics and Aerospace engineering and addresses some questions as we enter a new age of space exploration! Ben presented Path to the Stars: Exploring Bioastronautics for the Marin Science Seminar on February 15th.
Fun Fact: He has worked on Cubesats, Sounding Rockets, and proprioceptive function research for astronauts
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| Ben Foehr |
In my opinion, the biggest issues in Bioastronautics are the issues faced by Astronauts on long duration space flights. Space is an incredibly hostile environment even for short visits, but the longer we stay in outer space, the more our bodies are negatively affected. Extended microgravity leads to things like bone loss, muscle atrophy, and vision problems, while the constant noise and high stress environment found aboard spacecraft and space stations lead to most astronauts having really messed up sleep schedules for months on end, and having to fight through a bunch of different types of fatigue to get any work done. And that's just for Earth orbit: the further out we go towards places like the Moon or Mars, the more of an issue things like isolation from support and deadly radiation becomes, which is its own set of huge issues! So, overall, a lot of my field's focus is on figuring out how the heck we'll be able to keep all our astronauts happy, healthy, and productive when we start living in space for more than just a few weeks or months.
What particular factors do you consider when sending a human through space flight? How do you develop the right conditions for a human to travel in space for long periods of time?
For spaceflight, we start by considering all of the parts of our environment here on Earth we have to bring with us into space for our crew to survive: an atmosphere we can breathe, food we can eat, water we can drink (then recycle and drink again). We also have to think about less obvious parts of our everyday environment, like what tools and skills a crew will need to conduct their mission successfully, or what unexpected factors might make things more complex, like how we'd deal with a surprise medical emergency, or sudden tensions between the crew. Luckily, the best way to prepare for these missions is to look at previous missions: we've sent around 628 people to space so far, and while that a very small number of data points for most scientific studies, all of these previous explorers can tell us a lot about what worked on their mission and what didn't, so we can prepare for how we want to do things different next time. The ISS has been especially helpful, as crews staying abroad for 6 months or more will give a LOT of feedback about how they felt in terms of physical and mental health, their ability to get their job done, and what they would have liked to have during their stay to make things better.
For spaceflight, we start by considering all of the parts of our environment here on Earth we have to bring with us into space for our crew to survive: an atmosphere we can breathe, food we can eat, water we can drink (then recycle and drink again). We also have to think about less obvious parts of our everyday environment, like what tools and skills a crew will need to conduct their mission successfully, or what unexpected factors might make things more complex, like how we'd deal with a surprise medical emergency, or sudden tensions between the crew. Luckily, the best way to prepare for these missions is to look at previous missions: we've sent around 628 people to space so far, and while that a very small number of data points for most scientific studies, all of these previous explorers can tell us a lot about what worked on their mission and what didn't, so we can prepare for how we want to do things different next time. The ISS has been especially helpful, as crews staying abroad for 6 months or more will give a LOT of feedback about how they felt in terms of physical and mental health, their ability to get their job done, and what they would have liked to have during their stay to make things better.
What was the most influential project you have worked on?
So far, the most influential project I've ever worked on was a week-long design workshop hosted by the ESA and the University of Stuttgart out in Germany. There, I was one of only two Americans invited to work with a group of 40 other college students from all across the world who were interested in space exploration to design a realistic and workable concept for a space station that could be built some day in the near future. Obviously, designing a space station like this was incredibly cool and exciting, but in my opinion, working with an international group like this really opened my eyes to the different ways people all over the planet engage with space exploration, and I was able to make some lifelong friends in the process! It was a ton of work, and I didn't sleep much that week, but I came out of it more excited about my field than ever before.
So far, the most influential project I've ever worked on was a week-long design workshop hosted by the ESA and the University of Stuttgart out in Germany. There, I was one of only two Americans invited to work with a group of 40 other college students from all across the world who were interested in space exploration to design a realistic and workable concept for a space station that could be built some day in the near future. Obviously, designing a space station like this was incredibly cool and exciting, but in my opinion, working with an international group like this really opened my eyes to the different ways people all over the planet engage with space exploration, and I was able to make some lifelong friends in the process! It was a ton of work, and I didn't sleep much that week, but I came out of it more excited about my field than ever before.
Do you think it is going to be necessary for humans to relocate to a new planet soon? When do you think Earth’s conditions will become inhabitable/unsuitable for us?
This is a question I hear often, and I totally understand why a lot of people think leaving the Earth might be our only option. As climate change worsens and our planet begins to suffer from the effects of pollution, it often feels like fleeing to the stars and finding somewhere safe where we can survive might be our only chance to survive. But space is an incredibly inhospitable place, and keeping just two or three humans alive on places like the Moon or Mars even for a few days is a really, really difficult task, so with current technology it's basically impossible to strike out in search of a new home. But this doesn't mean we should give up hope: humans are incredibly resilient, and just the fact that we're even able to send people off-world for long periods of time is proof that we can adapt to harsh environments and overcome incredible problems! I think one day we will see humans living on another world, but, in my opinion, I think something like that will only ever be possible once we figure out how to fix our problems on Earth. But I believe in us, and think we will be able to pull it off! And after that, as they say, I think the sky's the limit!
This is a question I hear often, and I totally understand why a lot of people think leaving the Earth might be our only option. As climate change worsens and our planet begins to suffer from the effects of pollution, it often feels like fleeing to the stars and finding somewhere safe where we can survive might be our only chance to survive. But space is an incredibly inhospitable place, and keeping just two or three humans alive on places like the Moon or Mars even for a few days is a really, really difficult task, so with current technology it's basically impossible to strike out in search of a new home. But this doesn't mean we should give up hope: humans are incredibly resilient, and just the fact that we're even able to send people off-world for long periods of time is proof that we can adapt to harsh environments and overcome incredible problems! I think one day we will see humans living on another world, but, in my opinion, I think something like that will only ever be possible once we figure out how to fix our problems on Earth. But I believe in us, and think we will be able to pull it off! And after that, as they say, I think the sky's the limit!
Will space exploration start affecting everybody’s life and become a normality/reality for people other than astronauts?
I think space exploration already does affect everyone's life down on Earth, it's just hard to see sometimes. A lot of technology we use everyday like GPS, compact computers, Solar Panels, and even velcro was developed for space exploration, and current missions are helping innovate and create new and exciting technology. In terms of traveling to space, I also think that's something we'll see more and more of: right now it's fairly exclusively either rich tourists or highly selected scientists, which is generally out of reach for regular people. But as more nations and organizations travel out into space, more people will go too, and it would not surprise me that, within the next 100 years, we see space exploration more as people saw sailors on old exploring and trading ships: a rough lifestyle and still a fairly exclusive group, but something regular people could, with the commitment, become a part of. And beyond that, I one day hope that everyone can go to space as easily as going on any other trip, or moving to any other place on Earth!
I think space exploration already does affect everyone's life down on Earth, it's just hard to see sometimes. A lot of technology we use everyday like GPS, compact computers, Solar Panels, and even velcro was developed for space exploration, and current missions are helping innovate and create new and exciting technology. In terms of traveling to space, I also think that's something we'll see more and more of: right now it's fairly exclusively either rich tourists or highly selected scientists, which is generally out of reach for regular people. But as more nations and organizations travel out into space, more people will go too, and it would not surprise me that, within the next 100 years, we see space exploration more as people saw sailors on old exploring and trading ships: a rough lifestyle and still a fairly exclusive group, but something regular people could, with the commitment, become a part of. And beyond that, I one day hope that everyone can go to space as easily as going on any other trip, or moving to any other place on Earth!
What are your hopes for the future of space exploration? What do you want to see?
There is a lot I hope to one day see in regards to space exploration, but my number one dream would be to see us explore space and live on new worlds in a way that shows improvement for humanity beyond what we've done before. Back during the Cold War, for example, even though tensions were extremely high between the US and the Soviet Union, the joint Apollo/Soyuz mission in 1975 saw the two "opposing" crews quickly become fast friends, bonding over their shared humanity and love of exploration! In the future, I hope to see more events like this, where different people from different nations, creeds, and backgrounds can still explore space under common goals. I'd love to see, for example, international collaboration on Moon and Mars missions not just with NASA and ESA, but other space agencies like the Chinese National Space Administration, or the Indian Space Administration, or any other nation that wants to be a part of this journey. If we want to go to the Moon, Mars, or beyond, we need to go together, and I hope to one day see that become reality.
There is a lot I hope to one day see in regards to space exploration, but my number one dream would be to see us explore space and live on new worlds in a way that shows improvement for humanity beyond what we've done before. Back during the Cold War, for example, even though tensions were extremely high between the US and the Soviet Union, the joint Apollo/Soyuz mission in 1975 saw the two "opposing" crews quickly become fast friends, bonding over their shared humanity and love of exploration! In the future, I hope to see more events like this, where different people from different nations, creeds, and backgrounds can still explore space under common goals. I'd love to see, for example, international collaboration on Moon and Mars missions not just with NASA and ESA, but other space agencies like the Chinese National Space Administration, or the Indian Space Administration, or any other nation that wants to be a part of this journey. If we want to go to the Moon, Mars, or beyond, we need to go together, and I hope to one day see that become reality.
