back to article Their One Year Mission: To boldly find the effects of null G on humans

NASA and Roscosmos have decided on two veteran 'nauts for a prolonged one-year-long mission on the International Space Station. The Russian and US space agencies want to put a pair of spacefarers on the station for a prolonged duration to get more data on the effects of weightlessness on humans. NASA's Scott Kelly piloted …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Locky

    Subliminal

    With the image from the "Girlfriend 'tried to MURDER ME" story directly above, I read this as a "pair of norks" to be selected

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can I vote for my ex-wife to go? As long as she can take her damned cats.

  3. auburnman
    Pint

    Brave lads

    Given what we already know about prolonged weightlessness boils down to "it effs you up a fair bit", big props to the men who are volunteering to knacker their bodies in the name of SCIENCE.

    Beer 'cos they deserve several.

  4. Ken 16 Silver badge

    Wouldn't they learn more if they send a couple? the space shuttle astronauts never published their findings on zero G sex.

    1. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge
      IT Angle

      I think

      they did some basic research and found straps and tie downs the only alternative to having someone else there to help.

      1. Dom 3

        Re: I think

        The only scientific conclusion reached so far is: some people will believe anything.

    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Coat

      Wouldn't they learn more if they send a couple?

      Not to mention the rights to the videos would make the whole process self financing.

      No that's not a mac.

  5. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Just don't...

    ... get a nickname like Fruit Loops...

  6. Stevie

    Bah!

    Don't the Russians already know lots about this from making people stay on Mir for a year and more?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeri_Polyakov

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Bah!

      But they were commies - it doesn't count. What science needs is to show how long republicans can spend in space.

      1. Fatman
        WTF?

        Re: Bah! ...how long republicans can spend in space.

        <sarcasm mode="smug" type="political">

        Better Not!!!!

        Their brains just might explode from the lack of gravity - it is the only thing that "restrains" them.

        </sarcasm>

  7. Dave 32
    Coat

    Couple

    Wouldn't it be better to send a man and woman aloft, rather than two men? That would allow them to see how zero gravity affects both men and women. And, so what if three come down? Might end up getting more data than they bargained for.

    For that matter, in order to get a valid sample size, shouldn't they send six of each up?

    Dave

    P.S. Oh, yeah, I think they ought to send a 52 year old guy, and an 18 year old gal, just to get data across a range of ages. Makes sense, doesn't it?

    P.P.S. Mine's the one with the parachute in the pocket. Eat your heart out Felix. ;-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Couple

      Let me hazard a guess, you were born in 1960?

    2. hplasm
      Happy

      Re: Couple

      Re:PS Sounds like the plot of Saturn 3...

      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge

        Re: Couple

        PS Sounds like the plot of Saturn 3...

        That did not end well.

  8. Gene Cash Silver badge
    FAIL

    Sarah Brightman

    So what's the skinny on this being related to a Soyuz seat being taken by Sarah Brightman? I heard that she outbid NASA with the result that they have to skip a crew rotation. NASA is attempting to put a bright face on this by saying it's FOR SCIENCE!!!111oneoneone

    NASA denies the story, of course, but then I wouldn't believe Fox news if it said the Atlantic was wet.

    http://nasawatch.com/archives/2012/10/russia-sells-so.html

    http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=17384120

    1. MacroRodent
      Happy

      Re: Sarah Brightman

      Well, have her stay up there for a year, and then it really would be science!

  9. Kharkov
    WTF?

    A year in zero-gravity just to see how it messes you up?

    That sound you hear? It's the head of the Mars Society, Bob Zubrin's head exploding. Nothing seems to get that guy worked up quite so much as talking about year long missions in zero-g JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ASTRONAUTS.

    Surely a better choice would be to set up some kind of centrifuge or tethered capsule to provide centrifugal gravity, send up two astronauts for a year, and then see what kind of shape they were in at the end of the year?

    NASA started out with monkeys & dogs strapped into the chair, upgraded to people and found them much preferable because they didn't ask for so many treats...

    1. auburnman

      Re: A year in zero-gravity just to see how it messes you up?

      In an ideal world, centrifugal gravity would definitely be worth exploring. Are you volunteering to fund the R&D and construction on the entirely new space station that would require?

    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Unhappy

      Re: A year in zero-gravity just to see how it messes you up?

      "Surely a better choice would be to set up some kind of centrifuge or tethered capsule to provide centrifugal gravity, send up two astronauts for a year, and then see what kind of shape they were in at the end of the year?"

      IIRC There *was* a plan to put a (small) centrifuge on the ISS big enough to study varying the level of g effects.

      Not enough budget to get it built apparently.

      Personally I'd suggest radiation effects mitigation and closed cycle life support will be *much* more effective enablers of trips to Mars. Of course if you could extend the techniques of long brain surgery (complete blood draining and low temperature till all brain activity and most metabolism seems to *cease*) from 12 hours to 12 months things could get interesting....

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like