Challenge: Basic Needs
FOODEating and drinking can be a big challenge on Enceladus. Our body will be functioning differently and food will easily go off. Our bodies will need the right amount of nutrition to function correctly. Luckily NASA has already found a few solutions for this problem as NASA has developed food that can survive and be eaten in space. In space you can have every meal imaginable but it may not taste as good. The food in space has to be freeze dried, has to have low moisture, it needs to be pre-cooked and dehydrated. In the space craft there are ovens to provide warm foods and to heat up meals. You must also add hot water before eating some of the meals. In space drinking water is extremely difficult as there is little gravity. Many drinks are in a dehydrated form. To drink water, you must use a straw or a tube attached to your drink bottle to get it to your mouth.
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EXERCISE
Right now your muscles and bones are working against gravity, but what about on Enceladus where there is little gravity. Over a week in space you will lose almost 5% of your muscle mass. After a long time in space astronauts experience muscular atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning and a bone loss that is difficult to reverse. In space you will need to be exercising for al least 2 ½ hours of the day. This is the average time astronauts spend exercising. There are many different machines that you can use to exercise in space. These are very similar to exercise machines in earth, there are machines such as a treadmill, a stationary bike, and a machine that’s simulates weightlifting. This equipment will help the astronauts stay fit and healthy in space.
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EXCRETION
Going to the bathroom can be a really big problem in space as it isn’t always easy to get to a toilet. A few years ago it was a big problem when spaceships didn’t even have toilets. There is not even enough gravity to keep you and your waste down. But today we can ensure you that no matter where you are on Enceladus that you will be able to reach a toilet. The toilets in space are very similar to the ones on earth but still have their differences. The toilet has straps to keep you down, and the toilet has a suction function so that your waste can be disposed. |
RESPIRATION
Breathing in space can be a bad problem as there is no oxygen. You could be in a life threatening situation if your oxygen tank runs out. If you can’t breathe then you wont be able to live. Astronauts will be provided with big oxygen tanks and the space ship and space shelter will have air ventilation. The oxygen tanks will be attached to the space suit so that when traveling on the planet astronauts will be provided with oxygen.
Space suits cannot use normal air -- 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other gases -- because the low pressure would cause dangerously low oxygen concentrations in the lungs an blood, much like climbing Mt. Everest does. So, most space suits provide a pure oxygen atmosphere for breathing. Space suits get the oxygen either from a spacecraft via an umbilical cord or from a backpack life support system that the astronaut wears. Both the shuttle and the International Space Station have normal air mixtures that mimic our atmosphere. Therefore, to go into a pure oxygen space suit, a spacewalking astronaut must "pre-breathe" pure oxygen for some period of time before suiting up. This pre-breathing of pure oxygen eliminates the nitrogen from the astronaut's blood and tissues, thereby minimising the risk of the bends. |
MOVING
Moving on Enceladus is very hard as there is little gravity and extreme terrain. This means that it will be hard to stay on the actual moon and walk around. Astronauts will float in to the atmosphere with out proper support. The extreme terrain on Enceladus is rough and icy. This can be very dangerous and difficult for the astronauts to move around. For this we suggest astronauts put on the provided spikes to apply to the bottom of the space suit for better grip when walking on the surface. From photos provided by the space science institute we can compare the surface on Enceladus to the surface of the Wolverine Glacier in Alaska and the results are very similar. They both have rocky and rough terrain and are both full of ice. Enceladus is miles away from us, yet we have some similarities.
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Basic Needs By : Ella J