BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

Science Special

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

space.jpg

Science Special: How to Survive in Space: Into Orbit

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

How to Survive in Space - into Orbit

30/12/2015 GMT

Into Orbit

How to Survive in Space

BBC World Service - Science Special, How to Survive in Space, Into Orbit

How science, engineering and medicine are trying to understand how to stay alive in space

How science, engineering and medicine are trying to understand the limits of human physiology to ensure survival in space.

Forty years ago the Apollo-Soyuz mission, with its symbolic handshake between American and Russian astronauts, became one of the most significant political events of its time – heralding the beginning of international co-operation in the human exploration of space. If we want humans to properly explore the cosmos then we have to learn how stay alive in space.

Dr Kevin Fong has been delivering the 2015 London Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures on how to survive in space, and for the BBC World Service he begins a two part investigation into the extraordinary ways that science, engineering and medicine come together to get that fragile human life safely into space. He explores what we need to do to prepare for much longer duration space flights that probe deeper into our solar system and perhaps even beyond.

Kevin begins by taking us on a journey from planet Earth to escape earth’s gravity into Low Earth Orbit and to the International Space Station, which many see as a training ground for human survival in the harsh vacuum of space. Kevin hears from astronauts, aerospace engineers on how the International Space Station is helping to stretch the limits of our understanding of human physiology and survival in a way that no experiment back on Earth could.

(Photo: An astronaut in space. Credit: Nasa)

Science Special: How to Survive in Space

BBC World Service

How science, engineering and medicine join forces to allow fragile human life to survive in space.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Science Special

How to Survive in Space

Into Orbit

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service