The travails of going to space

QUESTION 1

Name the imaginary line in the earth’s atmosphere, 100 km up from sea level, beyond which the United Nations holds that any human activity would be astronautic, not aeronautic. This line was first defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

QUESTION 2

At a little over 19 km above the ground, the pressure on the human body drops to a value that’s equal to the vapour pressure of water at the body’s temperature (around 37 degrees C). As a result, any water exposed to the environment at this altitude -- like tears and saliva -- will boil away. This is why astronauts require pressurised suits. Name the line demarcating this altitude.

◣ QUESTION 3

Following on from Q2: while water can boil away at this altitude, fluids inside the body don’t because the tissue and skin can withstand the pressure di’erence. Nonetheless, bubbles of water vapour accumulate in the fluids. What is this phenomenon called?

QUESTION 4

For every month spent in space, space medicine research has found that astronauts lose around 1% of their ____ mass. This loss is very di’icult to regain. Astronauts who spend a long time in space are thus required to take supplements like vitamin D once they return. Fill in the blank.

QUESTION 5

Many travellers experience space adaptation syndrome when they go to space for the first time. The syndrome is

characterised by motion that the traveller sees but can’t feel. What is this syndrome called when it happens on the ground? Answers to April 30 quiz:

1. Substances that cause plants’ leaves to fall o’ – Ans: Defoliant

2. Most infamous example of a defoliant in the Vietnam War – Ans: Agent Orange 3. Toxin present in defoliant used by the British in Malayan Emergency – Ans:

Dioxins

4. Hardy plants that required a special

mixture to be destroyed – Ans: Rice

5. Substance whose e’ects were

depicted in photo by Nick Ut – Ans:

Napalm

Visual: Olof Palme

First contact: P.N. Moorthy | ViswanadhaRao Batchu | K.N. Viswanathan | Brahanya Sankar | Shiva Nigam

Visual: Name this NASA spacecraft that, in 1966, managed to create a small amount of artificial gravity by rotating a capsule. NASA.