01. What are the dangers and risks of going to space? What could go wrong? What are some hazards or risks that we might encounter and should know about in advance? (A K2S Question)

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At any time, things can go wrong, whether in space or at home. NASA has employed thousands of scientists, engineers, medical doctors and other experts and has launched many probes and satellites to learn about the space environment and space travel in order to determine the types of hazards that exist. Many of the risks faced on Earth are also faced in space. Depending upon a person's job and work environment, they may face hazards similar to those in a space environment. However, there are some particular challenges that are unique to space: a lack of breathable air in the space environment, travel at a high rate of speed—17, 500 miles per hour in Earth's orbit—a microgravity environment, prolonged and increased exposure to radiation in space without the Earth's protective atmosphere (although the space vehicles have protective shielding), and micro meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD).

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Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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