Death, Sex and Space

NASA is planning to explore other planets farther out in our solar system that will add even more years to the space missions resulting in the astronauts being away from home longer. The space agency has now been put in the position of pondering many issues that comes with long-term space travel. For example, what will the astronauts do with the body of an astronaut that has passed away during the mission? If an astronaut becomes critically ill and needs to be on life support, who makes the decision to take them off of life support?

Space travel will be heading to Mars in the next 30 years and doctors and scientists alike from NASA will be addressed with these issues over the next several years. These are indeed uncomfortable issues however they are being decided to build an ethical framework to give commanders and mission managers something to go by should the need arise.

One topic that has been very hot and taboo is how to cope with sexual desire among astronauts when on missions for that length of time? NASA has dodged the answer to this question for many years however this is another issue that will be addressed by NASA officials.

Paul Root Wolpe a bioethicist at the University Of Pennsylvania and has been an advisor to NASA since 2001 says, "There is a decision that is going to have to be made about mixed sex crews, and there is going to be a lot of debate about it."

There are some health issues that have been answered such as how much radiation astronauts should be exposed to (the amount equal to raising the astronaut's risk of cancer by 3% over their career) and how many hours a week does each astronaut work (48 hours).

Currently astronauts as well as the Russian cosmonauts who are currently on the International Space Station have policies in place in the event one of them becomes sick or injured. If that situation should ever arise, which to date has not they are able to leave the orbiting outpost (220 miles from Earth) aboard one of the Russian Soyuz space vehicles and be home within hours. However if the space mission is much further away on Mars that will not be as easily accomplished. The communication between Mission Control and the astronauts on Mars will be delayed by half an hour between when a question is asked and when the reply is returned via radio.

There is a lot for astronauts to contend with such as basic health risks but also health risks associated with radiation, the loss of muscle and bone, and psychological issues arising from isolation

NASA is considering the issue of preventive surgery such as an appendectomy to avoid a possible medical emergency's, the astronauts signing living wills, which will include end of life instructions. In addition, NASA is considering setting an age restriction on crews and if the astronaut is in the childbearing years to bank, their sperm or eggs since becoming exposed to radiation will risk birth defects and possible mutations.

Former astronaut Story Musgrave who has flown the space shuttle six times and has a medical degree says, "I don't think they have been great dealing with this type of thing in the past but it is very nice that they are considering it now."

Source:
Mike Schneider "Death, Sex in Space Considered by NASA" Discovery News
URL: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/01/spacedeath_spa_02.html?category=space&guid=20070501140000