2024-11-07
4 分钟The Economist Hello, Alok Jha here.
I host Babbage, our science and tech podcast.
Welcome to Editors Picks.
Here's an article handpicked from the latest edition of The Economist, read aloud.
I thought you might enjoy it.
Space is not a very hospitable place.
There is no air.
Depending on whether you are in sunlight or not,
it is either freezing cold or roasting hot.
There are subtler hazards too.
Even when provided with oxygen and a stable temperature by their spacecraft,
astronauts seem to sicken the longer they spend away from Earth.
Spending time in orbit, for instance,
causes bones and muscles, including the heart, to waste away.
Astronauts on the International Space Station or ISS spend several hours a day exercising in an attempt to fight this enfeeblement with only partial success.
Levels of radiation beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field are higher than on its surface,
which may increase the risk of cancer.
A report published on October 22nd by the Guy Foundation,
a British non-profit interested in the links between physics and biology,
adds some new potential health hazards for astronauts to worry about.