1 00:00:01,658 --> 00:00:04,488 (Multicom Jingle) 2 00:00:13,659 --> 00:00:16,609 (dramatic music) 3 00:00:16,608 --> 00:00:20,918 - [William] Staying alive in deep space is no easy matter. 4 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,120 For the astronauts aboard the first spacecraft to Mars 5 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,200 their last look back at Earth is a distant memory. 6 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,070 - [Astronaut] Meteorite shower, meteorite shower. 7 00:00:31,070 --> 00:00:32,440 Roger, we're coming in. 8 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:34,740 - [William] Any hope of rescue is long passed. 9 00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:39,190 These six people have gone further than anyone before. 10 00:00:40,260 --> 00:00:42,060 Now they're completely on their own. 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,610 Mars sits waiting, beckoning, at the other end, 12 00:00:47,610 --> 00:00:50,210 hundreds of millions of kilometers away. 13 00:00:50,210 --> 00:00:53,410 But to get there, the astronauts have to cross a mine field 14 00:00:53,410 --> 00:00:54,850 of deep space dangers. 15 00:00:56,829 --> 00:00:58,969 (dramatic music) 16 00:00:58,970 --> 00:01:00,780 And it's not just meteorites 17 00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:02,330 that will endanger their lives. 18 00:01:05,750 --> 00:01:08,570 Weightlessness seems like harmless fun, 19 00:01:08,570 --> 00:01:12,450 but months in zero gravity wreak havoc on the human body. 20 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:14,190 - They will come back 21 00:01:14,190 --> 00:01:17,750 with the bone of a 90 year old individual. 22 00:01:17,750 --> 00:01:19,630 - [William] Bone and muscle loss 23 00:01:19,630 --> 00:01:23,080 have plagued long duration flights for almost 30 years. 24 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,280 - Artificial gravity is the holy grail 25 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,930 when it comes to long duration weightlessness 26 00:01:27,930 --> 00:01:28,930 on your way to Mars. 27 00:01:30,130 --> 00:01:31,470 - [William] And there's another deadly force 28 00:01:31,470 --> 00:01:32,830 waiting in deep space. 29 00:01:34,900 --> 00:01:36,440 Cosmic radiation 30 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,100 generated at the core of dying stars 31 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:41,520 explodes out across the solar system. 32 00:01:42,830 --> 00:01:44,690 - Fireworks, celestial fireworks 33 00:01:44,690 --> 00:01:46,210 will be going off in my brain. 34 00:01:46,210 --> 00:01:48,050 This is cosmic radiation. 35 00:01:48,050 --> 00:01:49,660 - [William] Microscopic missiles pass through 36 00:01:49,660 --> 00:01:51,510 the skin of a spacecraft 37 00:01:51,510 --> 00:01:54,120 like a pin through a child's balloon. 38 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,290 - Very low doses of this cosmic ray 39 00:01:56,290 --> 00:01:58,780 can destroy brain cells. 40 00:01:58,780 --> 00:02:00,030 - [William] Scientists and engineers 41 00:02:00,030 --> 00:02:02,730 believe cosmic rays can be beaten, 42 00:02:02,730 --> 00:02:05,360 and the search is on for solutions. 43 00:02:05,355 --> 00:02:06,515 - [Sheila] 13. 44 00:02:06,522 --> 00:02:08,732 (fibers burst) 45 00:02:08,730 --> 00:02:09,710 - [William] But the best protection 46 00:02:09,710 --> 00:02:11,840 may be to send robotic astronauts 47 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,980 to do the most dangerous work required 48 00:02:13,980 --> 00:02:15,240 on the journey to Mars. 49 00:02:16,638 --> 00:02:17,468 (dramatic music) 50 00:02:17,471 --> 00:02:18,951 - We're gonna give them the very best technology 51 00:02:18,950 --> 00:02:21,450 we've got, so they come back safely. 52 00:02:21,450 --> 00:02:22,510 - [William] For two and a half years 53 00:02:22,510 --> 00:02:25,280 six people will be caregivers to one another. 54 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,500 It's them against the universe. 55 00:02:28,498 --> 00:02:29,328 - Clear it! 56 00:02:29,331 --> 00:02:30,161 - [William] On a mission to Mars 57 00:02:30,164 --> 00:02:33,194 the number one goal is staying alive. 58 00:02:34,607 --> 00:02:37,357 (dramatic music) 59 00:03:00,836 --> 00:03:03,586 (dramatic music) 60 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:06,420 - [William] This is not really 61 00:03:06,420 --> 00:03:08,400 what life is like in deep space. 62 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,950 - [Announcer] Condition one throughout the ship. 63 00:03:10,950 --> 00:03:13,480 - [William] TV and movies make it look easy 64 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,520 by adding make believe gravity 65 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,170 to their make believe spacecraft. 66 00:03:18,717 --> 00:03:21,727 (dramatic music) 67 00:03:21,730 --> 00:03:24,930 This is the reality of zero gravity. 68 00:03:24,930 --> 00:03:27,550 No gravity at all, everything floats. 69 00:03:27,550 --> 00:03:29,880 People who have been there like it. 70 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,250 - You know you're out in space, and it is effortless. 71 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:34,970 You're just literally floating everywhere. 72 00:03:34,970 --> 00:03:36,830 It's absolutely wonderful. 73 00:03:36,830 --> 00:03:39,650 - It is so easy to move about 74 00:03:39,650 --> 00:03:41,010 by just pushing on the walls. 75 00:03:41,010 --> 00:03:44,890 Small little pressure and you float in the other direction. 76 00:03:44,890 --> 00:03:46,840 - [William] But it's not good for your body. 77 00:03:47,740 --> 00:03:49,700 - We end up losing muscle mass. 78 00:03:49,700 --> 00:03:51,970 We end up losing bone mass. 79 00:03:51,970 --> 00:03:55,970 And we also lose the ability to stand upright 80 00:03:55,970 --> 00:03:57,470 or even to sit upright. 81 00:03:58,930 --> 00:04:00,970 - [William] US astronaut, Heidi Piper 82 00:04:00,970 --> 00:04:02,630 trained like all her colleagues 83 00:04:02,630 --> 00:04:05,160 for a space shuttle mission in 2006. 84 00:04:06,751 --> 00:04:07,581 (audience applause) 85 00:04:07,584 --> 00:04:10,834 But when she returned to Earth, Piper got a surprise. 86 00:04:13,740 --> 00:04:16,810 - And so I figure I could stand here, standing enough. 87 00:04:19,370 --> 00:04:20,730 - [William] Piper's legs buckled 88 00:04:20,730 --> 00:04:23,410 after just 12 days in weightlessness. 89 00:04:23,410 --> 00:04:25,960 How would the Mars crew be affected 90 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,510 by up to two years of zero gravity? 91 00:04:31,726 --> 00:04:33,786 Retired US astronaut, Jerry Linenger knows 92 00:04:33,790 --> 00:04:36,850 all about the muscle sapping power of zero gravity. 93 00:04:38,970 --> 00:04:41,850 He spent over 3,000 hours in space including nearly 94 00:04:41,850 --> 00:04:44,480 five months on the Russian space station Muir. 95 00:04:46,790 --> 00:04:49,770 In that time he lost 65% of his muscle strength. 96 00:04:50,850 --> 00:04:52,340 Before zero gravity, Linenger 97 00:04:52,340 --> 00:04:54,960 could easily lift 45 kilos over his head. 98 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,550 After five months, weightless in space, 99 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:02,920 he could only manage 16 kilos. 100 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:04,960 - You're my main guy, yeah. 101 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,200 Two or three year trip to Mars, I think 102 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,570 you can expect some very severe muscle atrophy. 103 00:05:11,450 --> 00:05:13,070 - [William] It's estimated the trip to Mars, 104 00:05:13,070 --> 00:05:15,370 six months there and six months back 105 00:05:15,370 --> 00:05:18,300 would result in a 50% loss in muscle strength 106 00:05:19,810 --> 00:05:23,150 and it's not just the muscles that are affected. 107 00:05:23,150 --> 00:05:26,240 Zero gravity is tough on the bones too. 108 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,640 - For a 40, 45 year old male going out on that trip 109 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:31,590 and coming back, they will come back 110 00:05:31,590 --> 00:05:35,150 with a bone of a 90 year old individual. 111 00:05:35,150 --> 00:05:37,200 - [William] The bones lose their calcium 112 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:38,980 and become brittle. 113 00:05:38,980 --> 00:05:41,730 They could snap just opening a hatch. 114 00:05:41,730 --> 00:05:45,260 A misstep could break an ankle or a leg. 115 00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:47,890 - None of us wanna go and send an astronaut to Mars 116 00:05:47,890 --> 00:05:51,500 and have him or her land there weak, jellyfish, 117 00:05:52,420 --> 00:05:55,120 unable to support the skeleton, risk a fracture. 118 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:56,830 - [William] For the Mars mission, 119 00:05:56,830 --> 00:05:58,950 finding a solution to zero gravity 120 00:05:58,950 --> 00:06:01,140 is top on the agenda. 121 00:06:01,138 --> 00:06:03,648 (speaking foreign language) 122 00:06:03,650 --> 00:06:06,470 The Russians may have the answer. 123 00:06:06,470 --> 00:06:08,330 They already have experience with long 124 00:06:08,330 --> 00:06:11,320 duration flights and its effect on cosmonauts. 125 00:06:12,860 --> 00:06:15,850 For 20 years, they've been looking for a solution. 126 00:06:17,615 --> 00:06:21,175 The fix may come by creating weightlessness on Earth. 127 00:06:23,260 --> 00:06:26,340 After just seven days stretched out in a rubberized bag, 128 00:06:26,340 --> 00:06:28,960 floating in water, most test subjects 129 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:30,580 lose 40% of their strength. 130 00:06:35,270 --> 00:06:37,690 To beat that effect, engineers have created a suit 131 00:06:37,690 --> 00:06:39,850 fitted out with bungee cords that will make 132 00:06:39,850 --> 00:06:41,800 their muscles work all the way to Mars. 133 00:06:43,770 --> 00:06:46,530 An electronic pulse that trick leg muscles 134 00:06:46,530 --> 00:06:48,820 into expanding and contracting. 135 00:06:48,820 --> 00:06:51,740 It's not high tech but it goes some way 136 00:06:51,740 --> 00:06:54,200 to keeping the bones and muscles in shape. 137 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,410 The standard countermeasure in orbit now 138 00:06:59,410 --> 00:07:02,840 is daily workouts, two to four hours a day 139 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:06,960 of grim exercise, very unpopular with the crews. 140 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,880 - Lotta self discipline though, to get on that treadmill 141 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:11,670 in the first place 'cause it is not 142 00:07:11,670 --> 00:07:14,500 a very pleasant experience. 143 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:17,220 - [William] And it's not all that effective. 144 00:07:17,220 --> 00:07:19,280 - You just have a hard time countering 145 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,680 22 hours of floating effortlessly. 146 00:07:24,030 --> 00:07:26,690 - [William] The best way to solve the problem 147 00:07:26,690 --> 00:07:29,820 is to create gravity on board the Mars ship. 148 00:07:29,820 --> 00:07:32,040 - Artificial gravity is the holy grail 149 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,020 when it comes to protecting the astronauts 150 00:07:35,020 --> 00:07:37,980 against the deconditioning that goes with long 151 00:07:37,980 --> 00:07:40,930 duration weightlessness on your way to Mars. 152 00:07:40,928 --> 00:07:42,298 (dramatic music) 153 00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:44,400 - [William] To create artificial gravity, 154 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,740 the Mars spaceship must be designed to spin. 155 00:07:49,250 --> 00:07:51,230 It works like a merry go round. 156 00:07:51,230 --> 00:07:54,320 The centrifugal force presses on the crews' bodies 157 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,620 just like the Earth's gravitational pull. 158 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,060 Early designs of artificial gravity space craft 159 00:08:01,060 --> 00:08:04,180 were huge, too big to be practical. 160 00:08:04,180 --> 00:08:08,420 - Up to 100 meters in diameter spinning very slowly. 161 00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:10,590 Guaranteed to work, guaranteed never 162 00:08:10,590 --> 00:08:12,430 to fly because of its expense. 163 00:08:13,550 --> 00:08:15,710 The one design which is very appealing 164 00:08:15,710 --> 00:08:18,440 and would not be terribly expensive would consist 165 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:23,000 of a space craft and its power supply separated by a tether. 166 00:08:25,643 --> 00:08:27,013 - [William] The Mars spaceship will start 167 00:08:27,010 --> 00:08:29,450 the journey like a rocket. 168 00:08:29,450 --> 00:08:32,870 But when it hits cruising speed, they cut the engines 169 00:08:32,870 --> 00:08:35,840 and switch to the slow turning mode. 170 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,760 - Spin up for artificial gravity has been initiated. 171 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,060 Point seven G at four point five-- 172 00:08:43,060 --> 00:08:45,390 - [William] When the space craft reaches the right 173 00:08:45,390 --> 00:08:47,890 spinning speed, it establishes 174 00:08:47,890 --> 00:08:49,630 artificial gravity for the crew. 175 00:08:50,753 --> 00:08:53,503 (dramatic music) 176 00:08:56,210 --> 00:08:59,330 The technology to create gravity in an entire space craft 177 00:08:59,330 --> 00:09:02,810 could be years away so Lawrence Young is developing 178 00:09:02,810 --> 00:09:06,170 an alternative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 179 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:09,190 - Hi, you comfortable in there? 180 00:09:09,190 --> 00:09:10,020 - Yeah, really good. 181 00:09:10,023 --> 00:09:11,333 - Let's see you step on each foot. 182 00:09:16,060 --> 00:09:18,370 - [William] Only the person using the machine 183 00:09:18,370 --> 00:09:19,810 feels artificial gravity. 184 00:09:20,740 --> 00:09:24,180 This is easier, cheaper technology than spinning 185 00:09:24,180 --> 00:09:26,220 an entire vehicle and crew. 186 00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:27,420 - [Lawrence] You don't live on the artificial 187 00:09:27,420 --> 00:09:30,440 gravity subterfuge, you visited it. 188 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,640 - [William] For 45 minutes to an hour everyday 189 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,450 or so, astronauts on their way to Mars 190 00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:36,800 could strap themselves in 191 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,130 and get enough gravity to maintain 192 00:09:39,130 --> 00:09:40,630 muscles and bone strength. 193 00:09:41,535 --> 00:09:42,855 (dramatic music) 194 00:09:42,860 --> 00:09:44,860 - Okay, we are almost ready to start. 195 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:46,970 - [William] Right now there's one hitch. 196 00:09:46,970 --> 00:09:49,760 It has some unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects. 197 00:09:49,763 --> 00:09:52,413 - Are you okay? - Yeah, ready. 198 00:09:52,407 --> 00:09:55,077 (suspenseful music) 199 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,320 - The brain gets level of what we call sensory conflict 200 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,150 and reacts to it by all of the symptoms of motion sickness. 201 00:10:04,150 --> 00:10:06,080 - [William] People get motion sickness 202 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,120 on Young's machine because it's compact. 203 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,790 It has to spin very quickly to create artificial gravity. 204 00:10:14,370 --> 00:10:17,820 Coming off Young's machine, an astronaut can get seasick. 205 00:10:17,820 --> 00:10:20,370 To fix that, researchers watch the test 206 00:10:20,370 --> 00:10:23,120 subject's eyes through tiny cameras. 207 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,020 - [Lawrence] What we see is vertical eye movements 208 00:10:26,020 --> 00:10:28,990 which tells us that he and his brain is confused. 209 00:10:28,990 --> 00:10:31,460 He thinks he is tumbling head over heels 210 00:10:31,460 --> 00:10:34,540 when he is spinning in a circle on the centrifuge. 211 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:37,620 - [William] What really gets the brain confused 212 00:10:37,620 --> 00:10:39,870 is spinning and turning the head 213 00:10:39,870 --> 00:10:42,520 and on a mission to Mars, astronauts 214 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:43,780 may have to do just that. 215 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,200 - [Lawrence] Three, two, 216 00:10:48,108 --> 00:10:48,938 one, now. 217 00:10:50,929 --> 00:10:53,679 (dramatic music) 218 00:10:54,953 --> 00:10:57,703 - [William] A crew member confused and seasick 219 00:10:57,700 --> 00:11:00,810 for even a short while is not an option. 220 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:06,390 While Young and his team perfect their centrifuge, 221 00:11:06,390 --> 00:11:09,080 researchers in California have built their own 222 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:11,400 gravity generator, a space cycle. 223 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:16,840 A person pedaling gets a traditional workout. 224 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:18,510 The spinning passenger actually 225 00:11:18,510 --> 00:11:21,840 gets up to five time Earth's gravity. 226 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,480 - We may find out that hyper gravity training 227 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,090 actually accelerates the training effect. 228 00:11:28,090 --> 00:11:30,250 You may have to spend less time doing it. 229 00:11:31,980 --> 00:11:34,080 - [William] Even if the technology to create 230 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,940 artificial gravity is finally mastered, 231 00:11:36,940 --> 00:11:39,420 waiting in deep space is another 232 00:11:39,420 --> 00:11:41,570 more deadly invisible force. 233 00:11:43,610 --> 00:11:45,930 Microscopic bits of matter can blast right 234 00:11:45,930 --> 00:11:47,520 through the skin of the space craft 235 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,770 and through the bodies of the people inside. 236 00:11:50,772 --> 00:11:53,522 (dramatic music) 237 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,310 As a crew bound for Mars passes into deep space 238 00:11:58,310 --> 00:12:02,090 leaving the protective cocoon of Earth's magnetic field, 239 00:12:02,090 --> 00:12:05,020 the bombardment of their space craft begins. 240 00:12:09,500 --> 00:12:11,690 An invisible and dangerous force passes 241 00:12:11,690 --> 00:12:13,590 through the skin of the space craft 242 00:12:13,590 --> 00:12:15,800 and the bodies of the people inside. 243 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,470 - On your way to Mars, you are gonna get zapped 244 00:12:18,470 --> 00:12:21,740 very severely with lots of radiation. 245 00:12:21,740 --> 00:12:23,740 - [William] The microscopic threat is created 246 00:12:23,740 --> 00:12:26,930 by dying stars, exploding supernovas. 247 00:12:26,930 --> 00:12:30,440 The blast propels carbon, iron, and uranium, 248 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,430 the founding elements of our world, 249 00:12:32,430 --> 00:12:36,010 out across the universe, as close to the speed of light, 250 00:12:36,010 --> 00:12:39,200 its cosmic radiation, it can be lethal 251 00:12:40,530 --> 00:12:41,540 and is inescapable. 252 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,150 - I turn my head 90 degrees. 253 00:12:45,149 --> 00:12:46,859 (makes swooshing sound) 254 00:12:46,860 --> 00:12:49,210 I'd see little contrails going by and I'd say, 255 00:12:49,207 --> 00:12:51,427 "Okay, I'm getting hit by something." 256 00:12:51,430 --> 00:12:54,720 - [William] Jerry Linenger an astronaut and medical doctor 257 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,540 could sense cosmic radiation invading his body. 258 00:12:58,540 --> 00:13:00,590 - [Jerry] Whatever ill effects that radiation 259 00:13:00,590 --> 00:13:03,690 might have is obviously increasing day by day 260 00:13:03,690 --> 00:13:06,130 by day when you're out there in space. 261 00:13:06,130 --> 00:13:08,230 Sometimes at night, I used to sleep on a wall, 262 00:13:08,230 --> 00:13:10,650 I used to sleep upside down on the wall, 263 00:13:10,650 --> 00:13:14,710 close my eyes and all of a sudden I'd see flash, 264 00:13:14,710 --> 00:13:17,300 flash, flash, sorta looked like a pinpoint 265 00:13:17,300 --> 00:13:18,600 light, very bright. 266 00:13:19,660 --> 00:13:22,320 - [William] Jeffrey Hoffman, another former astronaut 267 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,060 had similar reactions to cosmic radiation 268 00:13:25,060 --> 00:13:27,220 during 12 hundred hours in space. 269 00:13:27,220 --> 00:13:29,030 - I would be sitting there with my eyes closed 270 00:13:29,030 --> 00:13:30,740 and these fireworks, celestial fireworks 271 00:13:30,740 --> 00:13:33,270 would be going off in my brain 272 00:13:33,270 --> 00:13:36,530 and you realize, yeah this is cosmic radiation. 273 00:13:37,490 --> 00:13:39,560 - [William] Linenger and Hoffman react to their 274 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:43,270 cosmic radiation exposure with the expected astronaut 275 00:13:43,270 --> 00:13:46,760 bravery but their health could yet pay a price. 276 00:13:48,770 --> 00:13:53,770 Cancer, cosmic rays pierce cells, damaging DNA strands. 277 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,970 The damaged DNA becomes mutated and cancerous. 278 00:13:56,970 --> 00:13:58,740 When it can't repair itself completely, 279 00:13:58,740 --> 00:14:01,470 it multiplies itself millions of times. 280 00:14:01,470 --> 00:14:02,880 - [Jerry] They're gonna probably take older 281 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,360 people on that mission to Mars. 282 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,740 I don't think it's gonna be the 35 year old person 283 00:14:07,740 --> 00:14:10,240 because the lifetime cancer risk when that person 284 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,950 comes back is gonna be very high so you have to tell 285 00:14:13,950 --> 00:14:18,100 them that risk up front, maybe take an older healthy person 286 00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:20,750 and you live with that cancer risk when you get back. 287 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,400 - [William] Cancer is a long term threat. 288 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,400 Short term health danger for astronauts 289 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,690 is equally frightening, brain damage. 290 00:14:29,690 --> 00:14:31,360 - Engine, frontal back. 291 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:33,390 - [William] The area of the brain most vulnerable 292 00:14:33,390 --> 00:14:35,800 is the part that's vital to learning and memory. 293 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,310 - Tearin' over Houston, we show all systems nominal. 294 00:14:41,270 --> 00:14:43,390 - [William] NASA is using one of the largest tools 295 00:14:43,390 --> 00:14:46,190 on Earth, the particle accelerator to learn more 296 00:14:46,190 --> 00:14:48,250 about the effects of cosmic radiation. 297 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,750 Researcher, Marcelo Vasquez, loads a liquid 298 00:14:52,750 --> 00:14:55,840 containing brain cells into the accelerator. 299 00:14:58,340 --> 00:15:00,960 The accelerator's buried underground. 300 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,490 Put simply, it's a huge circular 301 00:15:03,490 --> 00:15:06,490 racetrack for subatomic particles. 302 00:15:06,490 --> 00:15:09,560 Powerful magnets placed around the track accelerate 303 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,650 the particles to half the speed of light. 304 00:15:12,850 --> 00:15:16,140 The speeding particles smash into the brain cell samples. 305 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:19,380 This is how cosmic rays in outer 306 00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:21,470 space enter the brains of astronauts. 307 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:26,440 - Okay we are ready for next exposure. 308 00:15:27,310 --> 00:15:29,170 - [William] Vasquez wants to know how many 309 00:15:29,170 --> 00:15:31,490 direct hits human brain cells can take. 310 00:15:34,180 --> 00:15:36,190 He's got bad news for astronauts involved 311 00:15:36,190 --> 00:15:38,100 on a long haul mission to Mars. 312 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:44,160 - Very low doses of this cosmic ray can destroy brain cells. 313 00:15:44,260 --> 00:15:45,530 - [William] Cosmic rays can leak 314 00:15:45,530 --> 00:15:47,380 through Earth's magnetic field. 315 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,300 Astronaut Jerry Linenger was hit by cosmic rays 316 00:15:51,300 --> 00:15:54,660 while on space station Muir inside Earth's orbit. 317 00:15:54,660 --> 00:15:56,360 There was no place to hide. 318 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,520 - You are gonna get zapped with lots of radiation. 319 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,880 Try to get behind a lead battery, try to cover up, 320 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,550 do whatever I could, you just have to live with it. 321 00:16:04,550 --> 00:16:06,520 - [William] So far Linenger has suffered 322 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:07,850 no long term effects. 323 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:14,820 But in deep space, taking the full force of the radiation, 324 00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:18,470 the Mars crew would be susceptible to brain damage. 325 00:16:18,470 --> 00:16:20,870 A crew member with a shaky memory and a sudden 326 00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:23,380 learning disability could endanger the mission. 327 00:16:25,100 --> 00:16:27,320 The only solution is to find a material 328 00:16:27,323 --> 00:16:29,383 that can shield the space craft. 329 00:16:31,250 --> 00:16:33,330 But that's not as easy as it sounds. 330 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,250 - You're not gonna be able to shield the vehicle 331 00:16:37,250 --> 00:16:39,250 unless you make it outta lead and you 332 00:16:39,250 --> 00:16:41,590 just can't launch a vehicle like that. 333 00:16:41,590 --> 00:16:45,100 - [William] Lead is far too heavy but NASA must find 334 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:47,980 a better shielding material if they're going to Mars. 335 00:16:51,710 --> 00:16:54,530 The search for a new lightweight shielding material 336 00:16:54,530 --> 00:16:57,460 is going on here at NASA's research lab 337 00:16:57,460 --> 00:16:58,890 in Langley, Virginia. 338 00:16:58,890 --> 00:17:01,700 - Four, five, six. 339 00:17:01,700 --> 00:17:05,300 Okay, okay so this is specimen number one. 340 00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:08,100 We're studying this for our radiation shielding project. 341 00:17:09,270 --> 00:17:13,000 So we're gonna pull in tension, you've got it loaded, Steve? 342 00:17:13,002 --> 00:17:13,842 - Yes. 343 00:17:13,835 --> 00:17:15,595 - [William] Before materials engineer, Sheila Thibeault, 344 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,420 can sign off on a material to protect astronauts 345 00:17:18,420 --> 00:17:20,870 from the deadly atmosphere of deep space, 346 00:17:20,870 --> 00:17:23,510 it has to meet exacting standards. 347 00:17:24,530 --> 00:17:26,820 Thibeault has watched hundreds of these procedures 348 00:17:26,820 --> 00:17:29,720 searching for the perfect material. 349 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,640 - This is 16 years worth of effort to find the perfect 350 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,840 shielding material for a human mission to Mars. 351 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:38,980 We have learned that a material 352 00:17:38,980 --> 00:17:41,560 with high hydrogen is very good. 353 00:17:42,900 --> 00:17:44,360 - [William] Luckily for the engineers, 354 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:46,910 hydrogen can come in several forms. 355 00:17:46,910 --> 00:17:48,600 The astronauts' food supply, 356 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,770 drinking water or even human waste. 357 00:17:51,770 --> 00:17:55,860 One shield is made of a surprisingly familiar product. 358 00:17:56,860 --> 00:17:59,060 - This is polyethylene and that works 359 00:17:59,060 --> 00:18:01,550 very well for radiation shielding. 360 00:18:01,550 --> 00:18:04,110 - [William] Polyethylene is so good, it's used 361 00:18:04,110 --> 00:18:06,650 by the crew of the International Space Station 362 00:18:06,650 --> 00:18:10,190 to line their sleeping quarters against cosmic rays. 363 00:18:11,330 --> 00:18:14,830 For a Mars vehicle, polyethylene will be just one 364 00:18:14,830 --> 00:18:18,140 ingredient of a much stronger composite material. 365 00:18:19,850 --> 00:18:23,070 NASA began looking at composites after discovering 366 00:18:23,070 --> 00:18:26,230 that aluminum, its standard for space craft materials 367 00:18:26,230 --> 00:18:28,360 since the Apollo mission to the moon, 368 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:29,520 had a hidden danger. 369 00:18:30,940 --> 00:18:35,130 - Aluminum is not a good radiation shield 370 00:18:35,130 --> 00:18:36,960 for cosmic radiation. 371 00:18:37,970 --> 00:18:40,160 - [William] When cosmic radiation hits the aluminum, 372 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,940 it breaks up atoms in the metal which generate 373 00:18:42,940 --> 00:18:45,140 even more dangerous radioactive 374 00:18:45,140 --> 00:18:47,450 particles inside the space craft. 375 00:18:49,609 --> 00:18:50,789 - It's 2,000 pounds. 376 00:18:50,790 --> 00:18:53,010 - [William] Thibeault is looking for a composite 377 00:18:53,010 --> 00:18:56,550 that can do double duty, block cosmic rays 378 00:18:56,550 --> 00:18:58,040 and be very strong. 379 00:18:58,040 --> 00:18:59,330 - 3,000 pounds. 380 00:18:59,330 --> 00:19:01,530 - [William] It will have to stand up to the rigors 381 00:19:01,530 --> 00:19:05,190 of the launch, the journey to Mars and the landing. 382 00:19:07,928 --> 00:19:08,758 - 13. 383 00:19:10,083 --> 00:19:10,923 (fiber snaps) 384 00:19:10,916 --> 00:19:12,336 - [William] This piece of graphite fiber 385 00:19:12,340 --> 00:19:15,340 stands up to 5,000 kilos of tearing strength. 386 00:19:16,590 --> 00:19:19,190 - We're really expecting a lot out of this particular 387 00:19:19,190 --> 00:19:22,460 material, we know that it's a good radiation shield 388 00:19:22,460 --> 00:19:24,760 but we want to apply it also for 389 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,910 the primary structure of a vehicle to Mars. 390 00:19:28,613 --> 00:19:30,373 - [William] The astronauts' lives 391 00:19:30,370 --> 00:19:32,220 depend on the right choice. 392 00:19:33,370 --> 00:19:36,870 The team at Langley has only one chance to get it right. 393 00:19:37,943 --> 00:19:40,693 (dramatic music) 394 00:19:43,710 --> 00:19:46,210 Meanwhile an ex-astronaut who has been exposed 395 00:19:46,210 --> 00:19:49,240 to cosmic radiation has his own ideas. 396 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,290 At MIT, Jeffrey Hoffman, now a professor, 397 00:19:52,290 --> 00:19:54,410 has an idea that takes its inspiration 398 00:19:54,410 --> 00:19:57,090 from the magnetic field shielding Earth. 399 00:19:57,090 --> 00:19:59,520 - Is to take our space craft 400 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,400 which we're representing as being 401 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,590 a cylinder, we have the astronauts inside 402 00:20:04,590 --> 00:20:08,090 and protect that from the incoming cosmic rays 403 00:20:08,090 --> 00:20:11,580 by surrounding it with a magnetic field. 404 00:20:11,580 --> 00:20:13,880 - [William] It's called a magnetosphere. 405 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,150 Electrical coils surrounding the space craft 406 00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:21,490 receive a huge magnetic charge generated inside the vehicle. 407 00:20:21,490 --> 00:20:24,100 Just like Earth's shield, charged 408 00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:26,480 particles are bent around it. 409 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:30,460 But Hoffman's magnetic field must be more powerful 410 00:20:30,460 --> 00:20:32,700 than the field surrounding Earth. 411 00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:35,250 - The Earth has a rather weak magnetic field, 412 00:20:35,250 --> 00:20:38,400 as magnetic fields go in the universe. 413 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:40,420 - [William] But Earth's shield is huge 414 00:20:40,420 --> 00:20:44,770 so a charged particle hit is distributed over a vast area. 415 00:20:44,770 --> 00:20:46,780 Not so with a tiny space craft. 416 00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:50,240 It needs a super strong magnetic field 417 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,200 to take the full force of the charged particles. 418 00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:57,810 Technology to generate enough power for the shield 419 00:20:57,810 --> 00:21:01,580 could be years away but pursuing it is a must. 420 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,640 - If we're going to ever really become a space faring 421 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,650 civilization and do this as a matter of course, 422 00:21:08,650 --> 00:21:11,540 radiation protection has gotta be a part of the equation. 423 00:21:12,950 --> 00:21:14,310 - [William] Cosmic rays are not the only 424 00:21:14,310 --> 00:21:16,640 threat lying out in deep space. 425 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:18,840 The bigger danger sits at the center 426 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,220 of the solar system, the sun. 427 00:21:22,510 --> 00:21:27,130 It's a destroyer, daring us on our quest for Mars. 428 00:21:27,130 --> 00:21:29,610 Getting by this ball of flames and energy 429 00:21:29,610 --> 00:21:33,480 will require precision and luck. 430 00:21:33,478 --> 00:21:36,228 (dramatic music) 431 00:21:38,214 --> 00:21:41,494 The sun, centerpiece of our planetary system. 432 00:21:41,490 --> 00:21:44,420 It gives life but in the case of a mission 433 00:21:44,420 --> 00:21:47,270 to Mars, it can end life horribly. 434 00:21:47,270 --> 00:21:49,320 - [Central] Attention, solar monitor 435 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,380 confirms a flare eruption. 436 00:21:51,380 --> 00:21:52,980 - [Astronaut] Central, predict magnitude. 437 00:21:52,984 --> 00:21:55,704 (coughing) 438 00:21:55,703 --> 00:21:57,313 - [Central] X20. 439 00:21:57,310 --> 00:21:58,750 - [Astronaut] We have less than an hour before 440 00:21:58,750 --> 00:22:00,510 the proton storm reaches us. 441 00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:02,840 - [William] It's the Goliath of the solar system. 442 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,210 Just one second of its energy could 443 00:22:05,210 --> 00:22:08,390 power north America for nine million years. 444 00:22:09,270 --> 00:22:11,440 Sometimes without warning the sun's power flips 445 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,870 out of control, solar flares erupt with the energy 446 00:22:14,870 --> 00:22:18,590 of 40 billion Hiroshima sized atom bombs. 447 00:22:19,850 --> 00:22:22,620 Flares precede solar storms more powerful than 448 00:22:22,620 --> 00:22:26,050 10 million volcanoes, pushing charged particles 449 00:22:26,050 --> 00:22:27,540 across the solar system. 450 00:22:30,650 --> 00:22:32,620 All this poses deadly odds against 451 00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:34,560 human explorers in deep space. 452 00:22:35,870 --> 00:22:39,350 - These charged particles can be devastating 453 00:22:39,350 --> 00:22:42,010 but a major storm without protection 454 00:22:42,009 --> 00:22:47,009 could really cause acute illness and potentially death. 455 00:22:50,190 --> 00:22:52,700 - [William] On Earth, a thick atmosphere and our magnetic 456 00:22:52,700 --> 00:22:55,970 shield take the brunt of the sun's energy but even so, 457 00:22:55,970 --> 00:22:59,520 solar events can sometimes disrupt global communication 458 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:02,100 systems and electrical power grids. 459 00:23:03,870 --> 00:23:05,950 - Very high energy particles actually 460 00:23:05,950 --> 00:23:08,500 made that transition, that transit from the sun 461 00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:11,030 to the Earth in about a third the speed of light 462 00:23:11,030 --> 00:23:12,670 so they were here in about 15, 20 minutes. 463 00:23:12,673 --> 00:23:15,063 - And yet we don't quite know what causes that. 464 00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:17,430 - That's correct, it's again, another big challenge. 465 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:18,340 - Yes, right. 466 00:23:18,340 --> 00:23:21,190 - No space weather storms observed the past 24 hours. 467 00:23:21,190 --> 00:23:24,090 Space weather for the next 24 hours is expected to be minor. 468 00:23:24,090 --> 00:23:25,720 - [William] Clearly the sun must be 469 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,290 on our enemies list on the voyage to Mars. 470 00:23:29,620 --> 00:23:33,700 In Boulder, Colorado, people are watching the sun 24 seven. 471 00:23:33,700 --> 00:23:36,340 Satellites send back information. 472 00:23:36,340 --> 00:23:40,210 The key is tracking the sun's magnetic fields. 473 00:23:40,210 --> 00:23:42,860 They can twist so violently, the sun's magnetic 474 00:23:42,860 --> 00:23:45,370 north and south poles trade positions. 475 00:23:46,610 --> 00:23:48,970 - We are seeing a high speed solar wind stream 476 00:23:48,970 --> 00:23:51,210 so we are seeing some elevated electrons over 477 00:23:51,210 --> 00:23:53,770 the next few days that may impact space craft. 478 00:23:53,770 --> 00:23:56,400 - [William] Forecasters look for sunspots. 479 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,120 The first sign that a solar storm is brewing. 480 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:00,600 - But there's so many variables. 481 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,340 We're talking about a distance from 482 00:24:02,340 --> 00:24:06,220 the sun to Mars, over 140 million miles. 483 00:24:07,230 --> 00:24:10,540 - [William] Sometimes solar storms move too fast. 484 00:24:10,540 --> 00:24:12,370 Millions of kilometers an hour. 485 00:24:14,110 --> 00:24:17,620 To get accurate forecasts of impending solar storms, 486 00:24:17,620 --> 00:24:19,750 the mission planners would have to launch several 487 00:24:19,750 --> 00:24:22,430 satellites designed to give weather warnings 488 00:24:22,430 --> 00:24:24,390 ahead of the manned launch to Mars. 489 00:24:26,780 --> 00:24:29,920 The best advance warnings solar storm forecasters 490 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,490 can give right now may not be fast enough. 491 00:24:33,490 --> 00:24:35,410 - It's not quite adequate, is it? 492 00:24:35,408 --> 00:24:36,388 - No, no. - To give 10 to 15 minutes. 493 00:24:36,393 --> 00:24:38,833 They need more time to protect themselves 494 00:24:38,830 --> 00:24:40,460 from that kind of radiation 'cause 495 00:24:40,460 --> 00:24:42,080 again, another big challenge. 496 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,080 - [William] The science of solar forecasting is evolving. 497 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,090 Some of NASA's Apollo missions were sent up more with hope 498 00:24:48,090 --> 00:24:50,890 than certainty about potential solar storms. 499 00:24:51,860 --> 00:24:54,740 - Any future missions that we have involving 500 00:24:54,740 --> 00:24:56,570 great excursions away from the Earth, 501 00:24:56,570 --> 00:24:58,620 we're not gonna be able to rely on luck. 502 00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:00,370 - [William] The odds against encountering 503 00:25:00,370 --> 00:25:03,220 a solar storm on a 12 day moon mission 504 00:25:03,220 --> 00:25:06,180 are slim compared with the months 505 00:25:06,180 --> 00:25:08,570 of deep space travel to Mars and back. 506 00:25:10,750 --> 00:25:13,570 - It's almost inconceivable to me 507 00:25:13,570 --> 00:25:16,600 that we could have a Mars mission and hope, 508 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,820 simply hope that there wouldn't be a major solar event. 509 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,960 - [William] Daniel Baker thinks solar storms 510 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:27,230 are so dangerous they require a specially designed shelter. 511 00:25:27,230 --> 00:25:29,440 One component is part hydrogen. 512 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,010 - Imagine a layered system with a heavy metallic 513 00:25:34,010 --> 00:25:37,110 inner core into which people could crawl 514 00:25:37,110 --> 00:25:40,380 and then around that might be lighter materials like water. 515 00:25:42,620 --> 00:25:44,910 - [William] The hydrogen in the water helps shield 516 00:25:44,910 --> 00:25:47,440 the crew members from the radiation. 517 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,130 They'll have to stay there for the duration of the storm. 518 00:25:50,130 --> 00:25:51,980 They've been known to last for weeks. 519 00:25:54,910 --> 00:25:58,610 If charged particles get through the space craft's skin, 520 00:25:58,610 --> 00:26:02,840 they could overload microprocessors, shutting them down. 521 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,120 If a reboot doesn't get the system back online, 522 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:08,750 the Mars astronauts are in trouble. 523 00:26:08,750 --> 00:26:11,880 Radiation hardened electronics with multiple 524 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,580 back ups are now in development. 525 00:26:16,650 --> 00:26:19,100 The Mars vehicle is run by computers. 526 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:21,700 Blank screens on vital operation systems 527 00:26:21,700 --> 00:26:24,230 could turn the space craft into a casket. 528 00:26:25,647 --> 00:26:27,797 Perhaps the most ambitious proposal for beating back 529 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,690 solar radiation once again takes its cue 530 00:26:30,690 --> 00:26:32,960 from Earth's protective magnetic shield. 531 00:26:36,270 --> 00:26:39,300 Researchers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center call 532 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:43,110 this an electrostatic radiation shield. 533 00:26:43,110 --> 00:26:45,470 Its center ring is positively charged. 534 00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:47,860 The outrigger is negatively charged. 535 00:26:47,860 --> 00:26:50,440 The two force fields should combine 536 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:52,410 to deflect solar radiation. 537 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,330 When the space craft gets close to Mars and slips 538 00:26:57,330 --> 00:27:00,260 out of the inner ring and moves on to the red planet. 539 00:27:04,710 --> 00:27:07,110 NASA had its first brush with a solar radiation 540 00:27:07,110 --> 00:27:11,310 storm danger on the International Space Station in 2005. 541 00:27:12,770 --> 00:27:14,940 The vehicle was hit by a wave of charged 542 00:27:14,940 --> 00:27:17,430 particles packing millions of volts. 543 00:27:19,330 --> 00:27:21,980 All on board survived but had an astronaut 544 00:27:21,980 --> 00:27:25,450 been outside space walking, it would have been tragic. 545 00:27:26,860 --> 00:27:28,490 Over the course of the journey to Mars, 546 00:27:28,490 --> 00:27:30,740 space walks for maintenance and repairs 547 00:27:30,740 --> 00:27:32,230 could be unavoidable. 548 00:27:32,230 --> 00:27:35,210 - We have to make the call as soon as the flare erupts. 549 00:27:35,210 --> 00:27:37,640 So we have to get to that point where we can tell 550 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,390 when that eruption's going to occur. 551 00:27:39,390 --> 00:27:41,200 Hopefully an hour or two in advance. 552 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,390 We are not there right now. 553 00:27:43,390 --> 00:27:45,720 - [William] Going outside the space craft. 554 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,760 Mars mission planners are doing everything 555 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:50,310 they can to protect the astronauts 556 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,810 and that may include replacing them. 557 00:27:54,910 --> 00:27:57,600 Robotic astronauts will stand in for humans, 558 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,390 taking on dangers never faced before in space exploration. 559 00:28:02,256 --> 00:28:05,006 (dramatic music) 560 00:28:06,330 --> 00:28:10,110 Millions of kilometers from Earth with no hope of rescue, 561 00:28:11,930 --> 00:28:15,290 meteorite debris makes contact with the skin of the Mars 562 00:28:15,290 --> 00:28:19,280 space craft triggering a warning light inside. 563 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,980 Searing through deep space of 90,000 kilometers an hour, 564 00:28:22,980 --> 00:28:26,770 someone has to go outside and take a look at the damage. 565 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:32,140 This will be the most dangerous space walk ever undertaken 566 00:28:32,140 --> 00:28:35,310 in the dark and threatening vacuum of space. 567 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,680 - I'm out there, self-contained space craft, essentially. 568 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,740 Any space debris comes by, hits ya, 569 00:28:43,740 --> 00:28:45,280 you know, violates the suit, 570 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,790 rapid decompression, you're gone. 571 00:28:48,890 --> 00:28:50,420 - [William] Former astronaut, Jerry Linenger 572 00:28:50,420 --> 00:28:53,490 spent more than five hours on a single space walk. 573 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,670 The danger level was huge but he had Earth to comfort him. 574 00:28:58,670 --> 00:29:00,650 Linenger could even see his home state. 575 00:29:02,830 --> 00:29:05,060 No one has ever stepped out of a space craft 576 00:29:05,060 --> 00:29:07,010 beyond the protection of Earth's orbit. 577 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,090 If the solar storm warning goes off now, 578 00:29:11,090 --> 00:29:13,600 millions of kilometers into deep space, 579 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,500 the crew will have to get back inside quickly. 580 00:29:17,461 --> 00:29:20,211 (dramatic music) 581 00:29:22,530 --> 00:29:25,940 Space walking isn't so different than deep sea diving. 582 00:29:25,940 --> 00:29:28,480 If a diver comes to the surface too quickly, 583 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,340 the rapid change in water pressure 584 00:29:30,340 --> 00:29:33,220 can cause decompression sickness or the bends. 585 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:36,830 For an astronaut, the same thing can happen 586 00:29:36,830 --> 00:29:39,730 by simply suiting up for a space walk. 587 00:29:39,730 --> 00:29:41,370 Pressure in the crew cabin is higher 588 00:29:41,370 --> 00:29:42,820 than inside the space suit. 589 00:29:44,670 --> 00:29:47,670 Nitrogen in the astronaut's blood can start bubbling, 590 00:29:47,670 --> 00:29:49,930 doubling the victim over in extreme pain 591 00:29:49,930 --> 00:29:52,140 and then unconsciousness. 592 00:29:52,140 --> 00:29:54,900 If the bubbles reach the brain, it's instant death. 593 00:29:57,130 --> 00:30:00,030 Space suit engineering is complicated. 594 00:30:00,030 --> 00:30:01,950 In the 60s the Russians thought they beat 595 00:30:01,950 --> 00:30:04,180 the bends but almost killed a cosmonaut. 596 00:30:05,270 --> 00:30:08,340 Preparing for a historic first space walk, 597 00:30:08,340 --> 00:30:11,750 Alexei Leonov's space suit was pressurized 598 00:30:11,750 --> 00:30:14,740 to the same level as his space craft. 599 00:30:14,740 --> 00:30:18,070 But Leonov couldn't fit back into the space craft. 600 00:30:18,070 --> 00:30:20,350 His space suit had expanded, 601 00:30:20,350 --> 00:30:23,080 trapped in space, he had to think fast. 602 00:30:24,100 --> 00:30:27,670 Hanging by a tether in space, Leonov had to open 603 00:30:27,670 --> 00:30:30,870 a valve on his space suit, bleeding off oxygen 604 00:30:30,870 --> 00:30:33,020 until he could squeeze back inside. 605 00:30:34,780 --> 00:30:37,340 Astronauts gearing up for Mars must get through 606 00:30:37,340 --> 00:30:40,250 boot camp at the Johnson Space Center. 607 00:30:40,250 --> 00:30:42,610 - It's much easier to practice and rehearse 608 00:30:42,610 --> 00:30:45,820 a procedure here where we can stop if we have to, 609 00:30:45,820 --> 00:30:48,060 verify something, change out hardware. 610 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,510 - [William] Canadian astronaut, Dave Williams spent 611 00:30:51,510 --> 00:30:54,030 16 days on a space shuttle mission. 612 00:30:55,610 --> 00:30:58,910 Williams trains others for space walks. 613 00:30:58,910 --> 00:31:03,190 They practice on an exact replica of their spaceship. 614 00:31:03,190 --> 00:31:05,160 - It's pretty amazing to train underwater 615 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,400 at this neutral buoyancy laboratory. 616 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,820 In many ways it's identical to performing a space walk. 617 00:31:11,830 --> 00:31:13,640 - [William] Underwater rehearsals give astronauts 618 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:16,140 the feel of working in outer space but some 619 00:31:16,140 --> 00:31:18,470 situations can't be practiced in water. 620 00:31:20,860 --> 00:31:23,960 Every astronaut's nightmare is the tether breaking. 621 00:31:25,030 --> 00:31:28,600 They would drift into the dark silence of space. 622 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:31,560 Dying alone when the air runs out. 623 00:31:33,140 --> 00:31:37,310 The safety back up for this scenario is a rocket pack. 624 00:31:37,310 --> 00:31:40,200 Updated from the original built 30 years ago. 625 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,300 And this is how they train to use it. 626 00:31:45,298 --> 00:31:48,048 (dramatic music) 627 00:31:49,090 --> 00:31:51,310 - Seven, six, 628 00:31:51,310 --> 00:31:52,410 five, four, 629 00:31:53,510 --> 00:31:55,430 three, two, 630 00:31:55,430 --> 00:31:57,110 one, you have pitch maneuver 631 00:31:57,110 --> 00:31:59,090 'till you're facing where you came from. 632 00:31:59,090 --> 00:32:01,290 - When you come off structure and you're tumbling 633 00:32:01,290 --> 00:32:04,190 head over heels, you need to be able to reorient 634 00:32:04,190 --> 00:32:07,050 yourself to where you came off structure and start 635 00:32:07,050 --> 00:32:08,960 getting back to that location. 636 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,010 There's really no other way to train that except 637 00:32:11,010 --> 00:32:13,250 in the virtual reality world. 638 00:32:13,250 --> 00:32:14,080 - Reach out. 639 00:32:17,151 --> 00:32:20,361 Hopefully, just grab on the structure here. 640 00:32:22,540 --> 00:32:24,670 Looks like we've got it. 641 00:32:24,671 --> 00:32:25,861 - You got it. 642 00:32:25,860 --> 00:32:28,070 Beautiful, 52%. 643 00:32:28,911 --> 00:32:32,851 And it was four minutes, 56 seconds. 644 00:32:32,850 --> 00:32:34,550 Plenty of battery left still, too. 645 00:32:35,830 --> 00:32:37,330 Yeah, we're just gonna reset it. 646 00:32:37,330 --> 00:32:38,920 - We take this very seriously. 647 00:32:39,780 --> 00:32:41,650 It's very real when we're interacting 648 00:32:41,650 --> 00:32:43,320 with the visual environment. 649 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,620 We treat it like we really would be flying it. 650 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,000 - [William] Rocket packs, a staple of deep space 651 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,440 science fiction are now the one thing 652 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:53,450 standing between an astronaut and death. 653 00:32:54,740 --> 00:32:56,570 - They're always tethered in two different places. 654 00:32:56,570 --> 00:32:59,270 If one tether breaks, you're still tethered to structure. 655 00:32:59,269 --> 00:33:02,569 And this would be a last resort if it came to this. 656 00:33:02,570 --> 00:33:04,400 - [William] Next step for NASA is to minimize 657 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,620 the human factor in the space walk. 658 00:33:06,620 --> 00:33:09,530 The answer, a huge innovation. 659 00:33:09,530 --> 00:33:11,930 A machine created to withstand the deep space 660 00:33:11,930 --> 00:33:14,290 threats of a mission to Mars. 661 00:33:14,290 --> 00:33:15,850 Meet Robonaut. 662 00:33:17,317 --> 00:33:19,537 - We will probably never send people alone. 663 00:33:19,540 --> 00:33:21,540 We're gonna send them with machines. 664 00:33:21,540 --> 00:33:22,960 Machines of all kinds. 665 00:33:24,020 --> 00:33:25,770 - [William] This member of a Mars crew will never 666 00:33:25,770 --> 00:33:28,440 suffer from bone or muscle loss, cosmic rays 667 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,180 and solar storms but Robonaut 668 00:33:32,180 --> 00:33:34,210 has some eerily human qualities. 669 00:33:35,210 --> 00:33:37,610 - Opposable thumbs are known to be a pretty good gadget 670 00:33:37,610 --> 00:33:40,450 and we should have them, the ability to grasp 671 00:33:40,450 --> 00:33:43,820 an object designed for a human hand is a functional need. 672 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,160 - [William] Robonaut is tougher than any astronaut 673 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:48,970 but not quite as skilled. 674 00:33:48,970 --> 00:33:51,980 For that reason it needs some human guidance. 675 00:33:51,980 --> 00:33:54,950 A strong and silent type, Robonaut 676 00:33:54,950 --> 00:33:57,200 will be the ideal work mate. 677 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,570 - So we've really designed Robonaut to be an astronaut's 678 00:33:59,570 --> 00:34:02,100 assistant, to work with him safely. 679 00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:03,430 That means it has to be able to handle 680 00:34:03,430 --> 00:34:05,800 all the same objects that an astronaut would handle. 681 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,480 It has to be designed so that it can work 682 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,120 with the same objects without damaging the objects. 683 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,180 If it had steel fingers, 684 00:34:12,180 --> 00:34:13,630 when it would grab a tool, 685 00:34:13,630 --> 00:34:16,340 it might leave a little nick or a burr 686 00:34:16,340 --> 00:34:18,230 on the handle of the tool. 687 00:34:18,230 --> 00:34:19,930 Hand it to an astronaut, the astronaut 688 00:34:19,930 --> 00:34:22,120 grasps it, cuts his glove. 689 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,100 So the robot has to be a good assistant. 690 00:34:24,100 --> 00:34:26,410 It can't hurt the astronaut or else you're not gonna 691 00:34:26,410 --> 00:34:28,470 want it to help you at all. 692 00:34:28,470 --> 00:34:31,320 - [William] The Robonaut will be useful outside the ship. 693 00:34:32,780 --> 00:34:34,930 - Wherever possible we would like to have the robot 694 00:34:34,930 --> 00:34:38,320 set the site up first, get all the tools laid out, 695 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,590 get everything pre-positioned and then have the astronauts 696 00:34:40,590 --> 00:34:42,710 come out very quickly, do the job 697 00:34:42,710 --> 00:34:44,770 and then get back inside where it's safe. 698 00:34:44,770 --> 00:34:46,240 Humans are precious. 699 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:48,980 We ask them as our heroes to go on these missions 700 00:34:48,980 --> 00:34:50,710 and we're gonna give 'em the very best technology 701 00:34:50,710 --> 00:34:53,600 we've got so they come back safely. 702 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,490 - [William] Robonaut will help reduce the chances 703 00:34:55,490 --> 00:34:57,220 that an astronaut will be injured 704 00:34:57,220 --> 00:34:59,840 or even die on the way to Mars. 705 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:00,670 - [Astronaut] We're in. 706 00:35:00,673 --> 00:35:01,963 - [William] But it's impossible to reduce 707 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:03,530 those odds to zero. 708 00:35:03,530 --> 00:35:05,610 Something could happen and they better 709 00:35:05,610 --> 00:35:07,310 be able to deal with it. 710 00:35:07,313 --> 00:35:10,063 (dramatic music) 711 00:35:11,810 --> 00:35:14,910 Six people, two and half years together 712 00:35:14,910 --> 00:35:18,770 in a space craft traveling at an average 90,000 kilometers 713 00:35:18,770 --> 00:35:21,910 an hour going hundreds of millions of kilometers 714 00:35:21,910 --> 00:35:23,670 to another planet and back. 715 00:35:25,450 --> 00:35:28,940 Somewhere along the line, somebody is going 716 00:35:28,940 --> 00:35:32,970 to need to a doctor, maybe even a surgeon. 717 00:35:32,973 --> 00:35:35,313 - Hiromi, Hiromi look at me. 718 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,030 - There's always a risk of an emergency 719 00:35:39,030 --> 00:35:41,030 situation arising in the space craft. 720 00:35:41,030 --> 00:35:42,650 What happens if you get a gall bladder 721 00:35:42,650 --> 00:35:44,050 inflammation on the way to Mars? 722 00:35:44,050 --> 00:35:45,450 How do you deal with gall stones? 723 00:35:45,450 --> 00:35:50,080 Toxicologic exposures, fire, smoke in the Martian habitat. 724 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,340 Depressurization, either the habitat 725 00:35:52,340 --> 00:35:53,950 or the space suit itself. 726 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:58,430 - [William] The possibilities seem endless. 727 00:35:58,430 --> 00:36:01,600 After weeks and months performing highly structured 728 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,680 activities, crew members must 729 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,220 never consider anything routine. 730 00:36:07,170 --> 00:36:10,010 - Moving large objects around in the absence of gravity, 731 00:36:10,010 --> 00:36:12,000 even though they don't weigh anything, they possess 732 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,280 a lot of mass, you can always crush an extremity. 733 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:15,830 We need to be able to take care of them 734 00:36:15,830 --> 00:36:17,280 if they do in fact occur. 735 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:19,780 - This is Houston, go ahead, Alpha. 736 00:36:19,780 --> 00:36:21,370 - [Alpha] Yeah, Bill's unconscious at the moment. 737 00:36:21,370 --> 00:36:22,200 I'm gonna need to talk to a flight surgeon 738 00:36:22,203 --> 00:36:23,373 as soon as possible. 739 00:36:24,730 --> 00:36:26,660 - [William] This is not a space craft 740 00:36:26,660 --> 00:36:28,200 but at this lab in Houston, 741 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,220 they are performing medical procedures 742 00:36:30,220 --> 00:36:31,970 like they would hundreds of millions 743 00:36:31,970 --> 00:36:33,920 of kilometers from Texas. 744 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,320 - [Alpha] He seems to be breathing a little bit but-- 745 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,600 - [William] A patient simulator, a programmable 746 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:42,510 and realistic dummy capable of imitating 300 different 747 00:36:42,510 --> 00:36:46,170 medical scenarios stands in for a downed astronaut. 748 00:36:46,173 --> 00:36:48,133 - [Alpha] I'm not sure what's wrong. 749 00:36:48,132 --> 00:36:49,552 - Okay, Alpha, I'm going to need you to do, 750 00:36:49,550 --> 00:36:51,280 let's start with the stethoscope. 751 00:36:51,275 --> 00:36:52,475 I also need you to get pulse. 752 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:54,770 - The person's having a heart attack, the person's, 753 00:36:54,770 --> 00:36:57,400 they can't breathe, they're getting short of breath. 754 00:36:57,400 --> 00:36:59,960 - [William] Students get their coaching over a headset. 755 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:03,020 To simulate the radio contact with mission control, 756 00:37:03,020 --> 00:37:05,530 they'd need to handle a serious medical problem 757 00:37:05,530 --> 00:37:07,330 on board the space craft. 758 00:37:07,327 --> 00:37:09,227 - [Alpha] His pulse is real quick. 759 00:37:09,230 --> 00:37:13,550 He's got about a 90 beats per minute pulse at the moment. 760 00:37:13,550 --> 00:37:15,500 - I have to get you in that room 761 00:37:15,500 --> 00:37:17,260 and I have to actually make you believe 762 00:37:17,260 --> 00:37:19,220 that this patient is in trouble 763 00:37:19,220 --> 00:37:21,430 and if you don't get on this right this second 764 00:37:21,430 --> 00:37:23,550 and do the right treatment, this patient will die 765 00:37:23,550 --> 00:37:26,150 and I have to make you believe that. 766 00:37:26,150 --> 00:37:28,650 - [William] Doerr's astronaut students get 28 hours 767 00:37:28,650 --> 00:37:31,400 training as a crew medical officer 768 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:35,340 but there's one thing Doerr's Houston lab doesn't simulate 769 00:37:35,340 --> 00:37:37,480 and that's the weightlessness of space. 770 00:37:40,410 --> 00:37:42,970 The push is on to deliver a Mars space craft 771 00:37:42,970 --> 00:37:47,280 with artificial gravity but if the system broke down, 772 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,530 medical emergencies would have to be treated 773 00:37:49,530 --> 00:37:50,520 in zero gravity. 774 00:37:51,590 --> 00:37:53,570 To prepare for that possibility, 775 00:37:53,570 --> 00:37:55,860 Doerr takes his dummies to the sky. 776 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,070 - This is an airplane that goes out 34,000 feet 777 00:38:02,070 --> 00:38:04,380 and then when you come up and over the top, 778 00:38:04,380 --> 00:38:07,000 you're at zero Gs for approximately 30 seconds. 779 00:38:08,140 --> 00:38:10,200 - [William] They call it the vomit comet because 780 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,860 a lot of people get sick to the stomach. 781 00:38:12,860 --> 00:38:15,360 Most get used to the jumpy ride but getting 782 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,800 even a simple medical procedure down is tough. 783 00:38:20,250 --> 00:38:23,070 - In zero gravity everything's floating off. 784 00:38:23,070 --> 00:38:25,040 You have to secure one piece under an arm. 785 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,200 You have to secure another piece under another arm. 786 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:28,680 You have to secure your own legs. 787 00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:30,300 You have to secure the pack. 788 00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:33,020 Otherwise things are just floating all over the place. 789 00:38:33,020 --> 00:38:34,150 It's darned difficult. 790 00:38:36,230 --> 00:38:38,870 If I tried to press on their chest, 791 00:38:38,870 --> 00:38:40,720 I go flying off one direction, the patient 792 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:42,310 goes flying the other direction. 793 00:38:42,310 --> 00:38:44,490 - [William] NASA isn't the only space agency 794 00:38:44,490 --> 00:38:47,720 preparing crews for weightless medical emergencies. 795 00:38:50,030 --> 00:38:54,100 The European Space Agency took it a step further. 796 00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:57,190 Operating on a real patient in zero gravity. 797 00:38:58,870 --> 00:39:01,560 The challenge, remove a non malignant 798 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:03,920 tumor from the forearm of a volunteer. 799 00:39:05,060 --> 00:39:06,390 The team has questions. 800 00:39:07,460 --> 00:39:10,900 In zero G, will the blood flow differently? 801 00:39:10,900 --> 00:39:13,980 Will differences in blood pressure cause problems? 802 00:39:13,980 --> 00:39:16,430 Can a surgeon perform a simple operation 803 00:39:16,430 --> 00:39:18,490 while being weightless? 804 00:39:18,490 --> 00:39:21,890 As the plane made its zero G, parabolic swoops, 805 00:39:21,890 --> 00:39:24,420 the team worked in 20 second bursts. 806 00:39:26,970 --> 00:39:29,220 Finally, after three hours and 31 807 00:39:29,220 --> 00:39:32,530 weightless sequences, the operation was over. 808 00:39:32,530 --> 00:39:35,580 It was a success although the patient was lifted 809 00:39:35,580 --> 00:39:37,540 several centimeters off the operating 810 00:39:37,540 --> 00:39:39,420 table during weightlessness. 811 00:39:43,250 --> 00:39:46,720 A Mars crew won't have a full medical team. 812 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:48,240 When things get complicated, they'll need 813 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:49,340 to consult with Earth. 814 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,500 But with each passing day, radio communications 815 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:56,990 with mission control will take longer and longer. 816 00:39:56,990 --> 00:39:58,720 - There could very well be situations 817 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:00,840 where we may need a surgeon on Earth 818 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,480 able to talk the crew medical officer 819 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,160 through performing a procedure. 820 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:08,820 - [William] But right now, communications between 821 00:40:08,820 --> 00:40:11,870 Earth and a Mars space craft is compromised 822 00:40:11,870 --> 00:40:14,330 by a time delay of up to 20 minutes. 823 00:40:16,780 --> 00:40:18,670 - Imagine a surgeon moving an instrument 824 00:40:18,670 --> 00:40:21,660 and waiting 20 minutes to see what the response is. 825 00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:24,840 - [William] A Mars crew will not be able to rely 826 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,150 on expert medical advice from Earth. 827 00:40:27,150 --> 00:40:30,770 They'll have to handle complex procedures themselves. 828 00:40:30,770 --> 00:40:32,610 But the best protection will go 829 00:40:32,610 --> 00:40:34,070 way beyond medical training. 830 00:40:35,150 --> 00:40:38,390 Medical investigators will screen Mars candidates 831 00:40:38,390 --> 00:40:40,710 right down to the cellular level. 832 00:40:40,710 --> 00:40:43,280 Looking deep into their DNA. 833 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:46,600 One day scientists might even go so far as altering 834 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:50,990 their genes to create the perfect Mars explorer. 835 00:40:50,990 --> 00:40:53,740 (dramatic music) 836 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,380 Today, all astronauts are strictly monitored, 837 00:41:03,380 --> 00:41:07,070 probed and prodded, screened for every possible disease. 838 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:12,420 - I'm sure they do feel like lab rats 839 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:16,680 but unfortunately that's what it takes. 840 00:41:17,980 --> 00:41:19,270 - [William] Every precaution is taken 841 00:41:19,270 --> 00:41:21,690 to make sure they don't carry any diseases 842 00:41:21,690 --> 00:41:23,280 with them to the launch pad. 843 00:41:25,410 --> 00:41:27,910 - We limit the exposure of the crew to people 844 00:41:27,910 --> 00:41:31,040 so we don't get a cold or the flu or gastroenteritis 845 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,610 or whatever just so that we don't get sick 846 00:41:33,610 --> 00:41:35,150 when we're in space. 847 00:41:35,150 --> 00:41:36,520 - [William] But for a Mars crew, 848 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,270 this isn't going to be good enough. 849 00:41:40,730 --> 00:41:43,690 Over the course of a two and half year mission, 850 00:41:43,690 --> 00:41:47,240 a life threatening condition could develop. 851 00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:51,270 - If someone's brain tumor shows up on the way to Mars, 852 00:41:51,270 --> 00:41:52,820 it's not gonna be a good thing. 853 00:41:54,610 --> 00:41:56,570 - [William] So medical screening has to go to a new 854 00:41:56,570 --> 00:41:59,260 level for long duration missions. 855 00:41:59,260 --> 00:42:01,730 It's called genetic selection. 856 00:42:01,730 --> 00:42:06,070 It's a thorough examination of the candidate's DNA. 857 00:42:06,070 --> 00:42:08,980 - We would use this genetic screening to identify 858 00:42:08,980 --> 00:42:12,590 those people who more susceptible to the radiation. 859 00:42:12,590 --> 00:42:15,140 So those tests will help us, they also may help us 860 00:42:15,140 --> 00:42:19,560 in the department of osteoporosis, or bone wasting 861 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,550 which is a big problem for us for long duration space 862 00:42:22,550 --> 00:42:25,890 and we would screen those people from going on a mission. 863 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:30,250 - [William] A space craft's limited medical resources 864 00:42:30,250 --> 00:42:33,240 could be stretched to the limit during a long term care 865 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:36,050 for an astronaut suffering radiation sickness. 866 00:42:38,350 --> 00:42:40,750 Cutting a vulnerable team member before launch 867 00:42:40,750 --> 00:42:42,290 reduces the risk for everyone. 868 00:42:45,470 --> 00:42:46,870 - We're not only protecting the mission 869 00:42:46,870 --> 00:42:49,810 but we're also protecting the astronaut. 870 00:42:49,810 --> 00:42:52,100 Not only in the short term to complete the mission 871 00:42:52,100 --> 00:42:54,170 but also in the long term to have 872 00:42:54,170 --> 00:42:56,640 a long and normal productive life. 873 00:42:58,270 --> 00:43:00,220 - [William] If you want a machine to perform better, 874 00:43:00,220 --> 00:43:01,770 you have to know it inside out. 875 00:43:02,670 --> 00:43:04,890 Dave Williams believes medical science 876 00:43:04,890 --> 00:43:07,630 is getting closer to knowing how to get inside 877 00:43:07,630 --> 00:43:11,710 an astronaut's genetic code to improve their performance 878 00:43:11,710 --> 00:43:14,500 and reliability in space. 879 00:43:14,497 --> 00:43:17,257 (engine starts) 880 00:43:17,260 --> 00:43:21,390 Williams sees a time when experts in space medicine 881 00:43:21,390 --> 00:43:24,870 will operate on a molecular level altering the genes 882 00:43:24,870 --> 00:43:27,970 of astronauts to make them more resistant 883 00:43:27,970 --> 00:43:30,250 to the effects of space travel. 884 00:43:30,250 --> 00:43:32,810 - We might actually have the capability of stimulating 885 00:43:32,810 --> 00:43:36,050 a gene to maintain muscle strength, to maintain 886 00:43:36,050 --> 00:43:38,180 the fastest slow twitch fiber ratio 887 00:43:38,180 --> 00:43:40,410 that we need to be able to prevent muscle wasting 888 00:43:40,410 --> 00:43:41,440 from taking place. 889 00:43:43,740 --> 00:43:45,720 - [William] In the future it may be possible 890 00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:48,880 for astronauts to be genetically doctored 891 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:51,210 to suit the Mars mission. 892 00:43:51,210 --> 00:43:53,800 - Going to Mars will take a special kind of person 893 00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:56,410 to undergo the training and the medical 894 00:43:56,410 --> 00:43:57,650 screening to make it. 895 00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:01,100 - [William] Whatever screening methods they decide to use, 896 00:44:01,100 --> 00:44:03,460 space agencies across the world 897 00:44:03,460 --> 00:44:05,690 will only select the fittest 898 00:44:05,690 --> 00:44:07,790 for the first manned mission to Mars. 899 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:11,450 But the engineers and scientists must also be able to design 900 00:44:11,450 --> 00:44:14,350 the hardware that will safeguard the lives 901 00:44:14,350 --> 00:44:16,740 of their pioneering crew on the most 902 00:44:16,740 --> 00:44:19,400 hazardous journey known to humanity. 903 00:44:21,150 --> 00:44:23,320 - We don't wanna go at the herring edge of survival. 904 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:25,530 We wanna go knowing we can go back. 905 00:44:25,530 --> 00:44:27,880 The way the first people came here to north America 906 00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:30,630 from western Europe or from Polynesia to Australia. 907 00:44:30,630 --> 00:44:34,210 We gotta build a system and that system has to be reliable. 908 00:44:35,230 --> 00:44:37,360 - [William] New, more powerful engines will be called 909 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:40,590 on to carry the crew to Mars and back. 910 00:44:41,950 --> 00:44:45,400 Getting a manned mission millions of kilometers to Mars 911 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:49,760 is a monumental engineering challenge and it will be met. 912 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:54,930 But accomplishments measured in thrust and speed 913 00:44:54,930 --> 00:44:58,370 mean nothing if the people on board do not survive. 914 00:44:58,370 --> 00:45:01,260 The weakest link as well as the greatest strength 915 00:45:01,260 --> 00:45:05,570 of any successful mission to Mars remains the crew. 916 00:45:05,570 --> 00:45:07,450 - Nobody's perfect, huh? 917 00:45:07,450 --> 00:45:09,150 - [William] And keeping them alive 918 00:45:09,150 --> 00:45:10,640 is the number one priority. 919 00:45:11,610 --> 00:45:13,940 But some of the greatest threats to the mission 920 00:45:13,940 --> 00:45:16,290 could come from within the crew. 921 00:45:16,286 --> 00:45:19,036 (dramatic music) 922 00:46:04,933 --> 00:46:07,773 (Multicom Jingle)