Surviving in Space

We are of Earth. Our bodies have evolved to work on this planet – not on the Moon, not on Mars and certainly not in conditions of weightlessness. So it is remarkable that over only a few decades of spaceflight we have learned how to combat the problems of survival in space.

We use special equipment, stick to rigorous exercise routines and prepare especially for the shock to the body of returning to Earth’s gravity at the end of each mission. Much of this knowledge has been learned on the Soviet and Russian space stations – Salyut and Mir - and now on the International Space Station.

This talk from Doug Millard, Senior Curator of Cosmonauts, looks at how we have learned to survive in space and the challenges remaining for us to truly live in space.