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Good meme but also I’m guessing they don’t really mind lol
Bone density loss, radiation exposure, extended recovery time post microgravity.
I'm sure they mind as much as all those things matter.
I also imagine you prep very differently for an 8 day mission vs a 6 month mission. In terms of physical fitness, trainings, family life etc.
Psychological fitness, too. 8 days away from civilizations is a very different mental state to get into than 8 months away.
Imagine being stuck in a space station 250 miles away from the human population for 8 months with one other person and they have some annoying roommate quirk, like snoring in their sleep
Imagine not being able to wank to your preferred porn because of fucking Houston.
I hope they have Surfshark and Librewolf installed up there.
Oh crap, I left all those lights on in my house?
“Hey can you feed my cat for a week while I’m in space?”
Vs
“So I’m stranded in space for the next 8 months, can you just adopt my cat for the foreseeable future?”
Both my cat and I would be absolutely devastated.
Only one answer.
Cats in spaaaaaaace
They tried that already
Turns out cats really don’t like not being able to land feet first
🤣 right?
Hiring a dogsitter, making sure the house is maintained and tidy, everything. Think about the difference between going on a 1 week vacation and taking an entire year to go hike a triple crown trail.
I'm certain NASA helped them with a contingency plan in this case. Pretty sure they also planned out if their craft crashed.
Like for sure. An astronaut has more assistance with this from the ground crew than any of the rest of us. But that's all shit these astronauts are going to be thinking about and stressed about that needs to be discussed on calls to update them on the situation that wouldn't have been if things were going according to plan
For sure it would've been better if things went according to plan. They'll miss their families too. But I'm just saying, if I were in their place, I'd have the utmost confidence that NASA is going to bat for them and doing anything physically possible to make the best of everything.
Well, they have the free time to discuss it…
On the upside, it will be great scientifically to see how long term space living effects those not fully prepared for it. I'm sure they are better than your average earthling, but it will be useful to see how they compare mentally, physically, etc, to other long term astronauts.
Entire life disrupted because they are literally no longer on the same planet as everyone else
Yeah I mean, they only signed up to be there for so long. And are they paid on a contract? If so they are literally just losing money.
They're employees of NASA. They receive a salary. They probably get hazard pay as a bonus, though.
Why on earth do you think it would work like that?
On Earth? That's not very space of you to say
Because I'm Canadian, I have never worked as an astronaut and it was a mission on a private crew capsule that I know for sure was handled with contracts.
But I wasn't sure, and I was corrected, thanks to the good people of Lemmy.
Bone density loss is combatted with exercise. Also people have spent longer then what the Starliner astronauts will in space. So radiation isn't a huge concern
Even with exercise, bone and muscle density deteriorate in microgravity. More radiation than planned is generally not a good thing. Is it generally fine? Yes. But being exposed to more of it due to Boeing using unqualified labor to assemble their tickets is absolutely an issue.
There are significant health complications that come with long term space travel.
- Bone density loss. From the lack of daily impact on the skeleton from walking, moving around, and lifting things.
- Loss of muscle mass, also from the lack of use. ISS residents need to adhere to a pretty strict workout regimen, and still have issues with significant muscle loss when they return to earth.
- Radiation exposure. The atmosphere protects us from a lot of radiation, simply due to the fact that air has mass, and is able to stop a lot of radioactive particles before they reach the surface. Airline flight crews (like pilots and attendants) are considered an increased radiation risk, because they spend so much time at high altitudes. It’s even worse in the ISS, where the only thing between them and radiation is some thin glass and aluminum.
- Loss of coordination. Returning to the surface is more disorienting the longer you have been in space. Basically, you get used to the way microgravity feels, and suddenly experiencing gravity again is a shock to your system. You’ll constantly drop things because you’re used to things just floating when you let go of them. You’ll fall over, because you’re not used to actively keeping yourself upright. The same way long-term respirator patients need to re-learn how to breathe after being taken off the machine, long-term microgravity means you need to re-learn how to exist in gravity.