How are medical problems such as breaking a bone or serious illness dealt with in space?
Fortunately, NASA in all of its 120 crewed space missions has never had to deal with a medical emergency more serious than, say, Fred Haise’s urinary infection on Apollo 13 or a few flu episodes in the early days. Spacecraft always carry a richly equipped medical kit for immediate needs. As long as such an emergency occurs in Earth orbit, the crew member is returned to Earth as quickly as possible, either on the Shuttle or, on a standby Soyuz capsule on the International Space Station. If a bone is broken, there is always equipment on board to set and immobilize it prior to reentry. When humans start out into deep space, e.g., on expeditions to Mars, their ships will carry elaborate health maintenance stations and one or more of the crewmembers will be medically trained because a quick return to Earth would then not be possible. In all likelihood, there will be a full-fledged doctor on board. • What do astronauts do for entertainment and recreation? Whatever they individually prefer. T
