Outer space mobilities and human health

Erik Cohen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

There are three kinds of health risks inherent in long-range space travel and tourism: Microgravity (weightlessness), radiation, and contamination by exo-life forms. There are two proposed strategies to deal with the survival of humans in space: protective mechanisms, which create Earth-like mini-bubbles in the hostile space environment and terraforming, which is intended to transform celestial bodies, such as Mars, to closer resemble Earth. A third strategy seems to be a long-range alternative: the adaptation of the human body to extraterrestrial conditions, advocated by transhumanism. This third strategy might enable humanity to achieve an unlimited expansion into the universe, but at the price of losing its distinctive character.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1123-1133
Number of pages11
JournalTourism Geographies
Volume24
Issue number6-7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • contamination
  • Space health
  • space radiation
  • terraforming
  • transhumanism
  • travel microgravity

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