Press Release

UMaine Astrophysicist and Challenger Learning Center Board Member Featured on in Feb. 5 History Channel Program on Hazards of Space Travel

By SpaceRef Editor
February 1, 2008
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UMaine Astrophysicist and Challenger Learning Center Board Member Featured on in Feb. 5 History Channel Program on Hazards of Space Travel
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ORONO – UMaine astrophysicist, author, professor of physics Neil Comins and Challenger Learning Center of Maine Board Member will be featured in a History Channel presentation Tuesday, Feb. 5, on the dangers of space travel.

Comins, who published the book “The Hazards of Space Travel” in 2007, joins several other astrophysicists and two astronauts to discuss some of the physical, biological and emotional complexities of traveling in outer space.Comins was appointed to the Challenger Learning Center of Maine Board in December 2007, and has been an active advocate for Center programs.

The show, “Space Travel,” is part of “The Universe” series produced for the History Channel. It airs at 9 p.m., EST. It is the second appearance Comins has made on the History Channel in as many months. He also was interviewed and appeared on “The Mysteries of the Moon” episode of The Universe series in mid-December.

Two other well-known astrophysicists, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Michio Kaku, and NASA astronauts Jerry Linenger and Owen Garriott also were interviewed for the “Space Travel” program.

While most people may be aware of the obvious dangers of a crewed spacecraft leaving and reentering the Earth’s atmosphere, Comins, in his book and in his History Channel interview, explains some hazards that aren’t so well known.

“There are many sources of hazards,” he says. “I talk about some of the more basic ones on the show, things like the effects of impacts and medical problems like stopped digestion. They are the tip of the iceberg – there are more biological and psychological threats in space than you might imagine.

“When you get into space, your digestion stops” in the absence of gravity, he explains. “Very dangerous to eat or drink during that time. Fortunately, it typically doesn’t stay stopped for more than a day or so. Another medical example is that medicines have much shorter shelf lives in space than on Earth. The medicines you rely on may fail you during a long trip in space.”

When many Earthlings think about flying objects in space, they may envision large objects that could damage a satellite, spacecraft or space station. However, space debris the size of a BB could have catastrophic effects if it smashed into an astronaut, Comins says. This can happen on a spacewalk or inside a spacecraft. Dust particles, even atoms, traveling at speeds of 5,000 or 6,000 miles per hour, can have serious consequences.

“Individual atoms, especially ones of iron or lead, can have the same impact as a baseball thrown by a major league pitcher at 75-100 miles per hour on Earth,” he says. “While such events are rare, astronauts frequently see flashes of light in their eyes when lower-energy particles hit their retina or optic nerve. The wonderful thing about the human body is it is well-adapted to repair.”

Comins also discussed in his History Channel interview the emotional effects of long-term isolation inherent in living on space stations and in upcoming space exploration to the moon and beyond.

Much of Comins’ interview took place last fall in a submarine in Portsmouth, an enclosed environment that is similar, in terms of physical and emotional isolation, to a spacecraft, he says.

SpaceRef staff editor.