The human need to expand his range of knowledge has led him to reach limits that were unthinkable in ancient times. Perhaps this is why space exploration borders on science fiction, and when it comes to teetering dangerously between the known and the unknown, anything can happen. For this reason, many wonder what happens when a human visits space and the risks that this entails, that is, what would happen if an astronaut is lost in space.
Astronauts are people who go through arduous preparation to visit the ends of the Earth. So far the farthest a human being has gone is to the far side of the Moon. It happened in 1970, when the Apollo 13 manned mission that was destined to visit the satellite had to abort the moon landing due to an oxygen tank burning. Instead of landing on the Moon, the crew turned the natural satellite around and returned safely to Earth.
And although there was no moon landing on this mission, there were others apart from Apollo 11 in which astronauts set their feet on the lunar surface. In these cases, their exploration duty requires them to carry out spacewalks, otherwise there would be no sense behind the manned missions. And precisely at this point is where people wonder, what would happen if an astronaut got so far from his ship that he ended up lost in space.
What happens if an astronaut gets lost in space?
First we must clarify that survival out there does not seem to be easy, starting with the fact that there is no pure oxygen to breathe. For this reason, hours before carrying out a space walk (EVA), they put their bodies inside special pressurized suits, to stay safe once they leave the ship. Inside these suits, they have the oxygen they need to breathe for long periods of time, as well as water to drink.
Image: NASA
Once they are ready to leave the ship, they do so through a special door called an airlock. It functions as a room that keeps the interior of the spaceship airtight. They have two doors and once the first one is crossed, it must be closed to maintain the ship’s pressurization. Then they can then open the second door and go out into outer space.
Of course, getting lost in space is a possibility, so they don’t move freely without security. Rather, they are kept attached to their ship via safety straps, to prevent this possibility. Although if this measure fails, they still have one more option to survive the everlasting space travel.
Behind on their backs they carry a kind of backpack called SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue). This device uses small jet thrusters to allow astronauts to move through space more quickly. So if an astronaut were to get loose from the safety straps, she can use SAFER to help her fly back to her ship. SAFER’s control mechanism is very similar to that of a video game joystick.
Image: SAFER
In a remote case in which SAFER runs out of his almost more than a kilo of fuel, there is still the possibility that a colleague will reach him to save him. However, if this does not happen, there is no protocol to save it and perhaps it is time to worry. He will begin a journey with no known destination as he waits for his nearly 7.5 hours of breathable oxygen to run out.
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