How people flew to the moon-exploring the HEART of health in space

Humans on the Moon-July 20, 1969

July 20, 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle landing on the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. But more remarkable than landing a vehicle on the Moon, was sending three humans to the Moon and back-safely.

Human bodies are designed for Earth, not outer space, so taking them into space and bringing them back safely was a monumental task and grave responsibility. And it was not accomplished perfectly-early on in 1967 the Apollo 1 spacecraft cabin caught fire and claimed the lives of three astronauts.

Despite the strides NASA has made in its perpetual quest to make spaceflight safer, it’s still a dangerous business. Our astronauts are stepping on top of a bomb when they climb into the capsule of a spacecraft, a bomb they trust will go off in a controlled manner.

Of the 135 space shuttle flights, two ended in disaster, claiming seven lives each.

Sam Howe Verhovek, article in National Geographic 07.2019

My space exploration

I grew up watching the space exploration adventure develop from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo and beyond and am still fascinated by it. My family and I never miss a chance to tour a museum exhibit featuring space and have enjoyed visits to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here

I’m sharing memories of my travels which I hope you enjoy.

• Distance from Earth to Moon-238,855 miles
• Duration of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon-8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes
• Top speed of ship to moon 24,000 miles per hour
• Length from the ladder to the moon surface of Armstrong’s “one small step”- 3.5 feet

Info as reported in AARP magazine, June/July 2019

Exploring space at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago Illinois

Health in space

During space flight, a medical doctor monitored the crew’s health. They were concerned with learning “can man live in space?”

They learned that man could live very nicely in space for two weeks. The cardiovascular system would adapt quite nicely.

“You get to know each other quite well.” (How to use the toilet in space.)

There are no toilets on a small spacecraft so an astronaut’s liquid waste went into a tube, vented to the outside. Solid waste went into a plastic fecal collection bag, then stored behind their seats.

When I flew on the space shuttle and the space station, I would look at the moon…I didn’t feel like I missed something by not going there. Just knowing that people got there-regular people, very brave ones-it makes it so that I’m there a little bit.

Humans pulled this off. We can do incredible things. Impossible things

Cady Coleman, retired astronaut , from AARP magazine

Please visit this previous post where I tell you about another woman astronaut, who gave her life in service to her country and the space program. On February 1, 2003  the STS-107 crew perished during re-entry as Columbia broke up over Texas en route to a landing in Florida. They amassed 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

Dr. Laurel Salter Clark

exploring the HEART of health in space

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Dr Aletha