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How do you thaw US-Russia relations? Launch them into the frozen depths of space How do you thaw US-Russia relations? Launch them into the frozen depths of space
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Their respective countries may be going through one of the worst periods of hostility since the end of the cold war, but this week an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut will fly up to the International Space Station to spend a year on board together.Their respective countries may be going through one of the worst periods of hostility since the end of the cold war, but this week an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut will fly up to the International Space Station to spend a year on board together.
Despite the enmities of the cold war and the frigid relations of their governments today, scientists and astronauts from Nasa and its Russian equivalent, Roscosmos, have a fruitful and peaceable history of recent cooperation. As the US government has cut space program funding, for instance, Nasa has turned to its Russian counterpart to assist with mission logistics such as sharing a launch pad. Despite the enmities of the cold war and the frigid relations of their governments today, scientists and astronauts from Nasa and its Russian equivalent, Roscosmos, have a fruitful and friendly history of recent cooperation. As the US government has cut space program funding, for instance, Nasa has turned to its Russian counterpart to assist with mission logistics such as sharing a launch pad.
The mission beginning this week for American Scott Kelly, 51, and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko, 54, will also feature experiments necessary to plan for a manned mission to Mars – and an opportunity to compare Kelly’s health in space with that of his twin brother, Mark, back on earth.The mission beginning this week for American Scott Kelly, 51, and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko, 54, will also feature experiments necessary to plan for a manned mission to Mars – and an opportunity to compare Kelly’s health in space with that of his twin brother, Mark, back on earth.
Mark was also an astronaut, and is the husband of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and seriously injured in 2011.Mark was also an astronaut, and is the husband of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and seriously injured in 2011.
Kelly and Kornienko will fly from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, one of the oldest launch facilities on Earth, on Friday (Saturday on the steppes).Kelly and Kornienko will fly from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, one of the oldest launch facilities on Earth, on Friday (Saturday on the steppes).
Kelly will be the first American to spend a continuous year in space; Russian Valery Polyakov spent more than a year on the Mir space station in the 1990s.Kelly will be the first American to spend a continuous year in space; Russian Valery Polyakov spent more than a year on the Mir space station in the 1990s.
During their year-long mission, 12 other astronauts will join them for shorter stints – including Gennady Padalka, a Russian who has spent more than 700 non-consecutive days in space. Padalka will spend six months on the space station this time, after which he will have spent more days in space than any other human being.During their year-long mission, 12 other astronauts will join them for shorter stints – including Gennady Padalka, a Russian who has spent more than 700 non-consecutive days in space. Padalka will spend six months on the space station this time, after which he will have spent more days in space than any other human being.
More than 40 years after Americans landed on the moon, many in the US consider spaceflight relatively routine, but its dangers remain as destructive to human beings as ever, and sometimes as mysterious: eyeballs distended by brain fluid floating weightless around the skull, pathogens made more virulent by the variables of space, bone loss, muscle atrophy, radiation.More than 40 years after Americans landed on the moon, many in the US consider spaceflight relatively routine, but its dangers remain as destructive to human beings as ever, and sometimes as mysterious: eyeballs distended by brain fluid floating weightless around the skull, pathogens made more virulent by the variables of space, bone loss, muscle atrophy, radiation.
During their year on the ISS, Kelly and Kornienko will perform daily cognitive, visual, physical, microbial and metabolic tests, and will also keep journals that will help their respective space agencies study the psychological toll of a year in orbit.During their year on the ISS, Kelly and Kornienko will perform daily cognitive, visual, physical, microbial and metabolic tests, and will also keep journals that will help their respective space agencies study the psychological toll of a year in orbit.
“Imagine if you went to work where your office was and then you had to stay in that place for a year and not go outside, right? Kind of a challenge,” Mark Kelly, Scott’s twin, told the Associated Press.“Imagine if you went to work where your office was and then you had to stay in that place for a year and not go outside, right? Kind of a challenge,” Mark Kelly, Scott’s twin, told the Associated Press.
The mission also has major implications for plans for future deep-space missions, which would require lengthy exposure to radiation, weightlessness and the many vagaries of life in space.The mission also has major implications for plans for future deep-space missions, which would require lengthy exposure to radiation, weightlessness and the many vagaries of life in space.
“We know a lot about six months, but we know almost nothing about what happens between six and 12 months in space,” Julie Robinson, a Nasa scientist, said during a press conference earlier this year.“We know a lot about six months, but we know almost nothing about what happens between six and 12 months in space,” Julie Robinson, a Nasa scientist, said during a press conference earlier this year.
A mission to Mars would likely take almost three years, accounting for 12 months of travel and around 18 months on the planet or waiting for an opportunity for it to realign with Earth. Average Nasa missions last several weeks to six months, and require astronauts, already peak performers, to keep in top physical and mental condition to stay healthy under the duress of space.A mission to Mars would likely take almost three years, accounting for 12 months of travel and around 18 months on the planet or waiting for an opportunity for it to realign with Earth. Average Nasa missions last several weeks to six months, and require astronauts, already peak performers, to keep in top physical and mental condition to stay healthy under the duress of space.
Back on Earth, Kelly’s identical twin brother Mark will also meet with former colleagues at Nasa for the mission.Back on Earth, Kelly’s identical twin brother Mark will also meet with former colleagues at Nasa for the mission.
Although Kelly was not selected for this mission because he and his brother are twins, the Kellys’ nearly identical genetic code presents a special opportunity to study how space affects humans with a virtual DNA control case on the ground.Although Kelly was not selected for this mission because he and his brother are twins, the Kellys’ nearly identical genetic code presents a special opportunity to study how space affects humans with a virtual DNA control case on the ground.
Eyesight problems and kidney stones – the latter likely due to the intense carbon dioxide in the space station’s air, at 10 to 20 times that on Earth – are also major concerns for long space missions, and Nasa hopes the Kelly twins can provide a case study to begin parsing the causes of such persistent astronaut conditions.Eyesight problems and kidney stones – the latter likely due to the intense carbon dioxide in the space station’s air, at 10 to 20 times that on Earth – are also major concerns for long space missions, and Nasa hopes the Kelly twins can provide a case study to begin parsing the causes of such persistent astronaut conditions.
An astronaut’s health has major consequences on a mission beyond his or her role on the station: in the delicate, high-stress environment, a small mistake could have catastrophic consequences – fire or equipment failure, for example. A health condition like pressure on the brain displaced by weightlessness increases the chances of that kind of error.An astronaut’s health has major consequences on a mission beyond his or her role on the station: in the delicate, high-stress environment, a small mistake could have catastrophic consequences – fire or equipment failure, for example. A health condition like pressure on the brain displaced by weightlessness increases the chances of that kind of error.
Kelly and Kornienko, already experienced with several trips to the ISS, have trained rigorously for the trip. Both have said they worry most about the emotional strain of such a long trip away from home and family. In addition to his well-known brother and sister-in-law, Kelly has two daughters and a girlfriend whom he will be able to periodically call via a choppy connection; Kornienko has a wife, daughter and young granddaughter.Kelly and Kornienko, already experienced with several trips to the ISS, have trained rigorously for the trip. Both have said they worry most about the emotional strain of such a long trip away from home and family. In addition to his well-known brother and sister-in-law, Kelly has two daughters and a girlfriend whom he will be able to periodically call via a choppy connection; Kornienko has a wife, daughter and young granddaughter.
In the downtime between their busy schedules of experiments, exercise and maintenance, they will also be able to escape into their respective private spaces, each about the size of a phone booth. The station is roughly the size of a three- or four-storey building, or a little larger than a football field, and is divided between zones for Russian and American astronauts.In the downtime between their busy schedules of experiments, exercise and maintenance, they will also be able to escape into their respective private spaces, each about the size of a phone booth. The station is roughly the size of a three- or four-storey building, or a little larger than a football field, and is divided between zones for Russian and American astronauts.
The launch is scheduled for 3.42 ET on Friday.The launch is scheduled for 3.42 ET on Friday.