Space. The unending ocean of nothingness, it engulfs the tiny blue dot that we call home and separates us by unimaginable distances from all the tantalising wonders the universe has to offer. Carl Sagan (Astronomy buff and teacher of Bill Nye the Science Guy) once pointed out that to the explorers of the human race, the depths of space are no more impassable than the high seas were to our ancestors hundreds of years ago. Maybe he was right weve already landed men on the moon, sent a satellite over the very cusp of our solar system into the interstellar void, and now weve set our sights on establishing a permanent residence on the red planet. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. It turns out that the void is quite bad for your health especially if you forget your multimillion dollar space suit. So lets talk about a few of the many ways in which space can kill you
7. The Journey
To actually get into space will require sitting inside of an aluminium box (just barely big enough for you, a couple of friends and some freeze dried ready meals) that rests upon 2 million kilograms of explosive material which is then ignited by some intelligent fellow sitting in a bunker several miles away. The intended outcome setting off a controlled reaction that will accelerate you and your companions to 18,000 miles per hour in roughly ten minutes. The sound alone is enough to kill everything in the immediate area and even knock over skyscrapers if there were any close by this writer suggests you invest in some decent earplugs. If that wasnt enough youll also be subject to a force of about 3G's on the way up, this will be uncomfortable, but not exactly life threatening if youve managed to pass the rigorous fitness tests imposed on you by the relevant space agency. The sad truth though, is that things can go very wrong at this stage, the Challenger disaster being one of the more poignant tragedies that come to mind emphasise the dangers the brave explorers of our time are faced with.
