h la conquête spatiale h

men in space
men in space
1. Laïka
On November 3, 1957, Sputnik-2 blasted off for
space with a little dog named Laika aboard. She
was the subject of a biological experiment.
This experiment gave Soviet specialists informa-
tion which they used to prepare for piloted flights.
2. Bielka and Strelka
On August 19, 1960 two small dogs named Bielka
and Strelka, took their places on board a second
space vehicle. Contrary to the fate of Laika, a sys-
tem of return was used for them.
For the first time in the world, living beings re-
turned to earth after a voyage in space.
3. Yuri Gagarin
Born March 9, 1934, he was the first man sent into
space, aboard the Vostok 1, on April 12, 1961, from
the launching pad at Baikonur.
The flight lasted an hour and forty-eight minutes,
following a unique orbit around the earch.
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4. John Herschel Glenn
Glenn was the first American to take part in a
manned space flight, on February 20, 1962. On
board the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule he made
three orbits around the earth, flying 129,000 km
in four hours ad 56 minutes.
5. Valentina Terechkova
The 26 year old was the first woman to travel into
space. After 48 orbits around the earth, two million
miles and a 71 hour flight, Valentina Terechkova
landed at Karaganda, in the Kazakhstan steppes,
on 19 Junes 1963.
In 1969 she became Vice President of the Women’s
International Democratic Federation.
6. Alexi Leonov
On March 18, 1965 he became the first space
walker, carrying out the first exit into space, wear-
ing a space suit.
7. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell,
and William Anders

They were the first men to circle the moon. Pow-

ered by a Saturn 5 rocket, on December 21, 1968
their Apollo capsule succeeded for the first time
in traversing the 384,400 kilometers separating
us from the moon.

The three meen celebrated Christmas in 1968 or-

biting the moon before returning to earth.

8. Neil Amstrong and Edwin Aldrin

On July 21, 1969 they became the first men to

walk on the moon. Neil Armstrong, commander
of the Apollo 11 mission would later say: “That’s
one small step for man, one giant leap for man-
kind.” Six hundred million viewers watched the
event on television.

The mission goal was to retrieve soil samples, but

the true objective was to beat the Soviets in this
race.

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survical conditions

Space is a hostile environment for man, and travelers there must

be well prepared and equipped to exist there without endange-
ring their lives.

The study of space sickness dates back to before the second

world war, when a group of researchers suggested the possibi-
lity of horrible scenarios and unexpected results when men were
exposed to weightlessness. At the time, no one knew how the
human body would react, or if survival was even possible.

1. Weightlessness • L ’astronaute se plaint d’avoir chaud et les veines de son cou

enflent ainsi que son visage ;
The effect of zero gravity makes on lose his sense of orientation;
there is no longer an “up” or a “down.” But weightlessness is not • Le volume des organes augmente ;
without its effect upon the organism. There is actually a sickness
which affects two thirds of all astronauts: space sickness. • Ils ont du mal à se déplacer et éprouvent des difficultés pour
exécuter le moindre exercice ;
The first symptoms are a loss of equilibrium, which affects the
astronaut’s mind: some have experienced hallucinations. How- • L’organisme rejette du calcium, des électrolytes et du plasma
ever, these effects are only temporary, and astronauts in space sanguin ;
can become acclimated to the absence of gravity and they can
adapt to the condition. • Les astronautes produisent moins de globules rouges et ils souffrent
d’anémie ;
Si le séjour en apesanteur perdure, des adaptations physiques et
physiologiques se manifestent : • La tension artérielle se dérégularise ;

• Les fluides corporels (ne subissant plus la force de pesanteur) • Les disques intervertébraux n’étant plus soumis à la gravité se
« remontent » dans le corps (la poitrine et la tête) ; dilatent et provoquent des douleurs dorsales.

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One of the most serious effects is the loss of bone density. In
spite of daily exercise, astronauts experience a density loss in
their leg and pelvis bones (which support the vertebral column
and upper body) of about twe percent. per month. A 45-year-
old astronaut returning from a mission to Mars will have a bone
density which has dropped to the level of a man of 70.

This problem of osteoporosis must be addressed so that astro-

nauts on long missions, of extended duration, will remain healty
and able to move about without fear of broken bones.

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2. Radiations 3. Cataracts

There is another invisible but deadly risk. Astronauts will no longer
be protected from solar and intergalactic radiation by the earth’s
atmosphere and magnetic field. These rays are invisible, but ex-
tremely dangerous.
Another risk, which has been totally ignored until recently, is
that of the “flashes” which astronauts notice while in orbit. These
flashes are particles striking the astronauts’ retinas, producing
false signals which seem to be flashes in their eyes. NASA has
studied the medical records of 295 astronauts, and discovered
that there is a connection between high doses of radiation and
the risk of developing cataracts; this connection does not exist in
astronauts exposed to low doses.

Cataracts go through several stages of development. They begin

by causing a dimming, or sometimes doubling, of viewed im-
ages, percieved halos around bright objects, and a shift in color
perception. In the worst cases, the eye’s lens becomes Com-
pletely opaque and the only cure is to replace it with an implant.
NASA has developed some protections for future missions. One
of these consists in imposing a reduced time of exposure to ultra-
violet rays, or the use of UV blocking glasses.
In space, both living and inert materials are sensitive to the bom-
bardment of high energy protons emitted by the sun.

These elements give rise to free radicals

which can break down the body’s dna
structure. In addition, X rays in space
can theoretically trigger genetic muta-
tions. Finally, scientists do not yet know
if there are increased risks of cancer.

Because of these incertitudes, in order

to avoid the risks of exposure to solar
radiation, extra-vehicular space walks
are at times forbidden for several days
when a solar storm is predicted.

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TOURISM in space

In the near future, instead of going through a catalog to pick a

sunny or snowy destination, the motivated traveler will be able
to opt for a vavation in space. Dream or reality?

The billionaire Richard Branson asked the great aeronautic de-

signer Burt Rutan to plan how to send ordinary tourists into
space, as professor Tournesol did with his moon rocket.

The result was SpaceShipOne, which will be the prototype of the

first space taxi. The cost of the trip will be around $208,000 ofr a
sub-orbital flight of around 90 minutes, at 62 miles (92km) above
the earth.

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