Astronauts also need to be quarantined? What's the logic behind this?

Astronauts also need to be quarantined? What's the logic behind this?

(Copyrighted image from the gallery, no permission to reprint)

People who come back from space also need to be quarantined for 14 days? Is there coronavirus in outer space?

Experts say that isolating astronauts is mainly for two purposes.

First, prevent the spread of new infectious diseases.

The air system in the space capsule is a closed loop. Although appropriate purification measures have been taken, the subjective feeling is still inferior to the fresh air in nature. The closed system also provides the possibility for the growth of microorganisms.

In addition, space radiation may also cause genetic mutations in bacteria and viruses. One breeding method is to use the mutagenic effect of space radiation on seeds to screen new varieties with excellent traits, and bacteria and viruses may also mutate under the influence of space radiation. The new bacteria or viruses produced may break through the human immune barrier and cause the occurrence of new infectious diseases. Although this possibility is not great and has not yet occurred, it cannot be ruled out.

Second, consider the astronauts themselves.

From rocket launch to spacecraft return, astronauts will face several challenges.

1) Continuous state of stress.

In order to break free from gravity, rockets need to reach very high flight speeds. In the process of continuous acceleration, astronauts need to bear a large gravitational load. In addition, due to the limitation of the thrust of the space shuttle, the load is limited and the spacecraft cannot be made very large. The limitation of space will produce a certain sense of oppression on the astronauts' psychology, and these factors will put the body in a state of stress.

Under stress, the body's secretion of adrenal glucocorticoids increases, which improves the body's ability to cope with challenges and suppresses the immune system. At this time, symbiotic or latent bacteria and viruses in the body may cause trouble, leading to an increase in infectious diseases such as pharyngitis, colds, and even pneumonia.

2) The impact of microgravity.

Space is a weightless environment. Blood circulation and lymphatic circulation will be affected, and even the morphology of immune cells will change to a certain extent.

3) Radiation from outer space.

Radiation can affect the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow, which is the "cradle" of immune cells. Therefore, radiation may cause damage to bone marrow hematopoietic cells, leading to a decrease in the number of immune cells and a weakening of their function.

In addition, changes in circadian rhythms and reduced exercise can lead to a decline in astronauts' immunity.

Therefore, from the perspective of preventing new species of pathogenic microorganisms and protecting the health of astronauts, the quarantine system for infectious diseases should be referred to and astronauts should be managed under the three-level quarantine system. Then, the quarantine system should be gradually transitioned to the second-level and first-level quarantine systems until the quarantine is lifted.

Author: Tao Ning

Source: China Science and Technology Press

<<:  Bees crawling all over the curtains, alligators sneaking into the auto repair shop! What should you do if you encounter dangerous wild animals?

>>:  We are fighting a tough battle with the "alien biological army"...

Recommend

What adjustments can be made if advertising volume is not reaching the target?

01. The advertising volume is not satisfactory, a...

Cross-border B brother-tiktok advertising quick start course

A comprehensive explanation of the practical oper...

Analysis of techniques for creating popular short videos on TikTok

In the year when short videos exploded, the avera...

High-level system design and low-level system design in software development

The software development cycle goes through many ...

Lige practical internal training virtual project third phase

Lige practical internal training virtual project ...

Ali Xianyu’s event promotion and marketing rules!

To organize a good event, you cannot rely on sudd...

To avoid distracted driving, MIT studies the way and logic of human driving

Given the sheer number of cars in our world, perh...

2020 Beginner’s Guide to Private Domain Traffic System!

What is private domain traffic ? This is a relati...

Mozilla CTO publicly blames Android and iOS

[[122515]] In a report provided to The Guardian, ...