Turning the international space station into a spaceship

i have recently heard that the russians and some members off the mars society are appealing to change the vision of the space station into something more exceiting and productive.
Instead of finishing the international space station which has accomplished hardly any of the visions which were declared, a number of different sources including the russians have appealed to turn the space station into a space faring ship which would have the ability to travel to mars. what are your feelings about this proposal?

I don�t think the ISS would be a good candidate to transport astronauts to Mars, unless they were able to produce artificial gravity by spinning the ISS on an axis. The trip to Mars is likely a two year trip and the weightless effects on the body would destroy their ability to do anything useful when they reached the planet.

Originally posted by kinglizard
I don�t think the ISS would be a good candidate to transport astronauts to Mars, unless they were able to produce artificial gravity by spinning the ISS on an axis. The trip to Mars is likely a two year trip and the weightless effects on the body would destroy their ability to do anything useful when they reached the planet.

Always wondered why they don't make a spinning Space station. I guess they can't see the effects of growing corn in zero G with gravity. Bah!

well the russians have stated that they can deal with the effects of zero gravity on the human body through the research and experience they gathered on their space stations. Although for some reason the americans have dissmissed their claims......as always.

The following is from some research I did on a potential trip to Mars and the difficulties the human body would need to endure. It mostly deals with weightlessness and it's effect on the body.


What are the effect of weightlessness on the human body?

• Fluid redistribution is one of these effects. It occurs when bodily fluids shift from the lower body (where they normally abound due to the downward tug of gravity) to the head and upper body. This redistribution of fluids is coupled with fluid loss. When the brain senses the increased volume of fluid in the upper body, it interprets this as being an increase in the total volume of fluid in the body. The brain then responds by triggering the excretion of fluids, making astronauts prone to dehydration.
  
  
• The cardiovascular system. On Earth, the heart must operate against gravitational pressure to sustain blood flow. Under zero-gravity conditions, that force is absent, causing the heart to lessen its pace according to the decreased demands.
  
  
• Bone deterioration as a result of zero-gravity is extremely deleterious to an astronaut�s health. This deterioration occurs when the amount of physical stress on bones decreases.
  
  
• Similar to bone deterioration, muscles atrophy as a result of disuse. In space, actions and movement require considerably less exertion because the force of gravity is practically non-existent. As a result, astronaut�s muscles become deconditioned.
  
  
• The decreased production of red blood cells is another consequence of living in microgravity. Scientists are not sure why this occurs, but evidence has shown that decreased exertion and prolonged weightlessness result in mild cases of�space� anemia.
  
  
• Balance disorders can also result from extended exposure to zero-gravity.
  
  
• The immune system is also affected by weightlessness. Astronauts become quite susceptible to illness when in space. The human immune response lowers and the quantity of infection-fighting cells in the immune system decreases after prolonged exposure to microgravity.
  
  
• Minor effects of weightlessness on the human body includes puffiness in the face, flatulence, weight loss, nasal congestion and sleep disturbance are usually only minor (yet common) annoyances.
  
  
• There are other hazards, too, Van Allen noted. For instance, the long-term effect of cosmic radiation outside the Van Allen belt is unknown. On a trip to Mars and back, probably every cell in the body would be hit by an ionized particle or a proton, researchers say, and they have very little idea what that would do. "If every neuron in your brain gets hit, do you come back being a blithering idiot, or not?" A round trip to Mars put the exposure at 130,000 millirem over two and a half years. That is equivalent to almost 400 years of natural exposure.

Originally posted by rufi0o
i have recently heard that the russians and some members off the mars society are appealing to change the vision of the space station into something more exceiting and productive.
Instead of finishing the international space station which has accomplished hardly any of the visions which were declared, a number of different sources including the russians have appealed to turn the space station into a space faring ship which would have the ability to travel to mars. what are your feelings about this proposal?

Now that sounds appealing! Yes! I would defiintely be for something like that!!! Would love to hear more of this kind of development. Heck yea! What I like about it is that they are recycling too. I'm for it all the way!