Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
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Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#2Maybe the reality is that all the science fiction stories have got it wrong all these times: that we have to genetically engineer different humans to traverse interplanetary (and in the far future, interstellar) distances and to live in alien worlds, so that we have less in common with them, physiologically, than we have with, say, the Cro Magnons.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#3>Drawing his own blood in zero gravity, for example, was a familiar routine. “I’ve had a couple spills in my time,” Mr. Kelly said. “You just reach out and grab the blobs of blood.”
That paragraph stopped me short. It reads like something from a Heinlein novel.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#4Maybe the reality is that all the science fiction stories have got it wrong all these times: that we have to genetically engineer different humans to traverse interplanetary (and in the far future, interstellar) distances and to live in alien worlds, so that we have less in common with them, physiologically, than we have with, say, the Cro Magnons.
That's the subject of many science fiction stories.
Paul McAulie excellent "The mouth of the whale" comes to mind, for instance.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#5Maybe the reality is that all the science fiction stories have got it wrong all these times: that we have to genetically engineer different humans to traverse interplanetary (and in the far future, interstellar) distances and to live in alien worlds, so that we have less in common with them, physiologically, than we have with, say, the Cro Magnons.
This is a major plot point in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#6Maybe the reality is that all the science fiction stories have got it wrong all these times: that we have to genetically engineer different humans to traverse interplanetary (and in the far future, interstellar) distances and to live in alien worlds, so that we have less in common with them, physiologically, than we have with, say, the Cro Magnons.
That's the subject of many science fiction stories. Paul McAulie excellent "The mouth of the whale" comes to mind, for instance.
Stephen Baxster IIRC has some weird dolphin like humans living on Titan.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#7>Drawing his own blood in zero gravity, for example, was a familiar routine. “I’ve had a couple spills in my time,” Mr. Kelly said. “You just reach out and grab the blobs of blood.” That paragraph stopped me short. It reads like something from a Heinlein novel.
I absolutely love hearing stories from astronauts about how quickly they adapt to microgravity and how easy it is to forget when they come back.
Things like stories of them suddenly letting go of stuff they are holding on earth and expecting it to float there, or reaching out to grab on to a wall to stop themselves while walking down a hallway.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#8The article is missing information about how the preflight genetic and other data compared between these putatively "identical" twins. How genetically identical were they at the start of the study? Missing too is the within subject comparison of the earthbound twin's own pre and post flight data, which the study presumably collected too.
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#9Maybe the reality is that all the science fiction stories have got it wrong all these times: that we have to genetically engineer different humans to traverse interplanetary (and in the far future, interstellar) distances and to live in alien worlds, so that we have less in common with them, physiologically, than we have with, say, the Cro Magnons.
I imagine interstellar travel with some kind of Matrix-like hibernation. But all the problems with interplanetary are just a matter of stinginess. Low gravity? Make a 2001 style ring. Radiation? Make a big ass ship with enough isolation.
Is that astronomically expensive? Of course. But avoid gravity well. Start building a Moon base with mining facilities, then move to Ceres, and son on.
Current Mars fever is a distraction. We have no idea what Mars gravity could do to babies born there. Do parents have the right to raise their children in Mars? Even if they're viable, they might want to come to Earth and find out their bodies won't resist the gravity. What about waiting for animal tests?
Re: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same
#10I guess outline.com doesn't work on NYT any more. Copy/paste here?