How to Survive in Space

Spaceflight is notoriously dangerous. Beyond launch mishaps and equipment failures, astronauts face serious health problems from long-term weightlessness and high-energy radiation. Not to mention, the space environment is a near-perfect vacuum that can quickly kill anyone who is unprotected.

Drawing on the hard-won insights of NASA astronauts and space researchers, this 12-lecture course presents the perils of spaceflight and what experts have done to make them survivable. It also deals with livability in space, including nutrition, sleep, environmental control, and personal hygiene.

How to Survive in Space is taught by veteran biomedical space researcher Ronke Olabisi, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, where she teaches the physiological effects of spaceflight and researches potential countermeasures. She is a member of the 100 Year Starship Project, which aims to make human interstellar travel a reality within the next 100 years.

Dr. Olabisi starts with pre-launch preparations, involving quarantine, medical check-ups, diet changes, and recalibration of the astronauts’ circadian rhythms to the schedule that will be followed in space. Then, it’s off to the launch pad for countdown and liftoff, during which the rocket’s acceleration presses down on the crew with several times the force of gravity.

Once the rocket engines are turned off, the astronauts are weightless, which is essentially falling without ever stopping. Many crew members become violently motion sick as a result, which can last a day or two. However, the physiological effects of weightlessness last much longer and can lead to bone loss, back problems, vision changes, severe headaches, immune suppression, and psychological distress.

Dr. Olabisi also covers spacesuits and spacewalks, rampant microbial growth aboard the International Space Station, medical emergencies, crew mental health, and returning to Earth. Throughout the course, she points out where movies often get it wrong when depicting the space experience.