Intro to Human Spaceflight Exam 1 Prep

Flashcards to prepare for the first exam of human spaceflight

First Human in Space

Yuri Gagarin

First Woman in Space and in Orbit

Valentine Tereshkova

First American Man in Space

Alan Shepard

First American in Orbit

John Glenn

First Spacewalk

Alexei Leonov

Gemini Program Main Goals

test astronaut’s ability to fly long duration flights (14 days); to understand how a spacecraft could rendezvous and dock with another vehicle in Earth orbit; to perfect re-entry landing method; and to further understand the effects of longer spaceflights on astronauts9

First US Spacewalk

Ed White

What happened to Apollo 1?

A cabin fire; the crew was unable to open the exit of the command module.

Which mission first orbited the moon?

Apollo 8

What mission landed on the moon?

Apollo 11

First Space Station

Salyut 1

Final Moon Landing; first to include and astronaut-scientist

Apollo 17

First US Space Station

Skylab

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

A US and Soviet joint mission; paved the way toward international partnerships in space; designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems and the possibility of an international space rescue

Space Transportation System (STS) ran through what years?

1981-2011

First US woman in space

Sally Ride

Mir Space Station

Soviet space station; on orbit for 16 years; 90 cubic meters of habitable volume

Final STS flight

Shuttle Atlantis STS-135; July 8, 2011

Tiangong Space Station

Chinese Space Station; launched in 2021

The Constellation Program was the original plan for _________ for the __________ program

replacement, STS

Three types of energy/matter

Photons, particles, fields

what are sources of photons?

galactic, solar, planetary, other

what are sources of neutral particles?

galactic, planetary, other

what are sources of charged particles?

galactic, solar, planetary, other

what are sources of fields?

magnetic, electric, gravitational

layers of the atmosphere low to high altitude

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

space weather

the dynamical transfer of energy from the sun to the earth in the form of solar photons, charged particles, and fields that vary on multiple time and spatial scales

how long is a solar cycle

average of 11 years

impacts of space weather

• electric power transmission

• GPS systems

• HF radio communications

• satellite communications

• satellite drag

drag force __________ when the sun is active

increases

satellite drag; the sun adds extra energy to the atmosphere, the low density layers of air at LEO altitudes _____ and are replaced by ________ density layers that were previously at ______ altitudes

rise, higher, lower

satellite drag; after low density layers are replaced by higher density layers, the spacecraft flies through ________ density layer and experiences a __________ drag force

higher, stronger

satellite drag; when the sun is ______, satellites in LEO have to ______ their orbits about four times per year to make up for ______________

quiet, boost, atmospheric drag

when solar activity is at its __________ over the 11-year solar cycle, satellites may have to be maneuvered every _____________ to maintain their orbit

greatest, 2-3 weeks

types of radiation in space

• ionizing: galactic cosmic radiation, trapped radiation, solar energetic particles

• non-ionizing: ultraviolet radiation

galactic cosmic radiation

emitted as immense clouds of high-energy charged particles thought to originate from supernovas

trapped radiation

occurs when charged particles become trapped in earth’s magnetic field and spiral around inside the field

solar energetic particles

released by the sun in solar particle events; this can result in sudden intense storms

ultraviolet radiation

less energetic; particles impart energy on to the atoms and molecules with which they interact, but do not strip off electrons

as frequency increases, energy _________

increases

ionizing radiation properties

• short wavelength

• photon energy higher than 10 eV

• energy high enough to detach electrons

non-ionizing radiation properties

• long wavelength (>100 nm)

• static electric and magnetic fields

• photon energy lower than 10 eV

wavelength, long to short

radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, ganna

nuclear power emits ______ waves

gamma

medical x-rays emit _______

x-rays

sunburns are a result of an ______________

overexposure to ultraviolet radiation

remotes work using _______ waves

infrared

x-ray gamma biological effects

skin pigmentation, cataracts, sterility, cancer

biological effects of UV-C radiation

pigmentation

biological effects of UV-B radiation

corneal inflammation, skin cancer

biological effects of UV-A radiation

pigmentation, cataract, skin cancer

biological impacts of visible light

retinal injury

biological impacts of IR-A

thermal retinal injury

biological impacts of IR-B

skin burn, corneal burns, cataract

biological impacts of IR-C

skin burn, corneal burns, cataract, heating of body surface

biological impacts of microwave EHF and SHF

heating of body surface

biological impacts of microwave UHF

heating to depth of 10 mm, raised body temperature

alpha radiation

a type of radiation made up of fast-moving, heavy particles containing two protons and two neutrons

beta radiation

consists of high-energy, high-speed electrons or positron emitted by unstable atomic nuclei during radioactive decay

gamma radiation

type of high-energy, penetrating electromagnetic radiation emitted by radioactive atomic nuclei

___________ have the most penetrating power of common types of radiation

gamma rays

_________ have the most penetrating power of all

neutrinos

radiation physical effects - non-ionizing

• measurement: exposure specific energy absorption rate (SAR) in watts per kilogram (W/kg)

• tissue begins to significantly absorb electromagnetic radiation if frequency exceeds 15 MHz

• strong bodily absorption between 70-100 MHz

long term exposure studies of RF show no evidence of _______________

carcinogenic effect

physiological effects of RF exposure

• tingling — peripheral nerve stimulation

• visual — flickering in periphery of field of view

• aural — inner ear stimulation from soft tissue expansion

what is the dominant source of radiation the must be dealt with aboard current spacecraft and future space missions within our solar system

galactic cosmic radiation (GCR)

GCR comes from outside the __________ but primarily within our _____________

solar system, milky way galaxy

GCR is composed of the _________ of atoms that have their surrounding _________ stripped away and are traveling at nearly the ______________

nuclei, electrons, speed of light

what factors determine the amount of radiation astronauts receive?

altitude above the earth, solar cycle, individual’s susceptibility

out-gassing

release of gases from spacecraft materials

cold welding

fusing together of metal components

heat transfer

limited to radiation

LEO has about ___ of earth’s gravity

91%

US Space Surveillance Network (SSN) tracks over __________ man-made objects larger than ______ in size, which are known as the ________________

20,000, 10cm, “catalogued” population

debris between 1cm and 10cm, referred to as the ____________, are the most concerning because they can’t be ___________ and can cause ___________ when colliding with a satellite

"lethal” population, tracked or catalogued, catastrophic damage

objects smaller than _____ that could disable a satellite upon impact are termed the ______________

1 cm, “risk” population

human health countermeasures (HHC)

provides biomedical expertise for the development and assessment of medical standards, vehicle and spacesuit requirements, and countermeasures to risks associated with human space travel to ensure crew health during all phases of flight

HHC focuses

• pre-flight countermeasures

• in-flight countermeasures

  • post-flight countermeasures

pre-flight countermeasures include

physical fitness, exercise regimens, physiologic adaptation training

in-flight countermeasures include

nutritional health, physical fitness, pharmaceuticals, and sensory-motor training protocols

post-flight countermeasures emphasize

rehabilitation strategies and target a return to health on earth

microgravity causes calcium ____

loss

• calcium loss and bone mass decrease happens progressively throughout a mission

• increased risk for kidney stones

• urinary calcium secretion monitoring

the first ___ months post-flight are when majority of ________ can occur

six, bone restoration

Respiratory risks in space

• decompression sickness (DCS)

• radiation and lung cancer risk

• lunar/martian dust exposure

neurological risks in space

• disruption of sleep cycle

• parasympathetic nervous system increased activity

• nausea, vomiting - “space motion sickness”

• eye movement control

• intercranial pressure changes (neuro-ocular syndrome)

• increased spinal fluid

• cosmic radiation exposure - increased brain cancer risk

what are some countermeasures to space hazards?

space suit design, spacecraft design, medical studies, exercise studies, long-term studies, analog mission tests

first US suit flown in space

mercury spacesuit

• close-fitting, two-layer, full pressure suit

• developed by B.F. Goodrich Company from their Mark IV pressure suit, as used by US Navy

MMU

manned maneuvering unit

radiation exposure mitigation methods

monitoring

• dose levels and types of exposure

shielding

• experiments in ground-based facilities

• advanced materials development

operational procedures

• use available vehicle stowage and materials

influencing factors for designing for humans in space

mission duration, crew size, destination, mission objective, time in history/design philosophy

apollo era and design philosophy

1960s, expendable everything, mission specific, smallest margins

apollo destination and objective

lunar orbit and surface, demonstrate technical superiority

apollo duration and crew size

8-12 days, 3 crew (2 LM, 1 CM)

apollo habitat

extremely cramped

• command module - 210 cubic-feet, 70 cubic-feet/crew

• lunar module - 160 cubic-feet, 80 cubic-feet/crew

pure oxygen at low pressure (~5 psi), 60/40 O2, N2 split on launch pad

simple, mass-efficient, but fire-risky

apollo thermal control

limited radiative cooling, sublimator: primary heat rejection device, critical requirement: guaranteed pure water

skylab era and design philosophy

early 1970s post-apollo, volume over redundancy, humans as occupants, not just operators

skylab destination and objective

LEO, long-duration human habitation and science

skylab duration and crew size

3 crew, missions: 28, 59, and 84 days

skylab habitat composition

a mix of 70-74% oxygen and 26-30% nitrogen

skylab habitat pressure

5 psi, lower than sea level but sufficient for human life