Sweden’s only space doctor, Maurice Westerlund decides who gets to go to space.
In his role as a space doctor, he examines and assesses the risk of private individuals who want to go into space in a commercial context.
– It’s a big strain on the body, says Maurice in Nyhetsmorgon.
At the start of the space journey, you may feel nauseous and dizzy.
– But once you get up, everything is relatively calm and peaceful, explains Maurice.
The first thing that happens when you get up into space is that you lose your fitness in a flash. This means that it is of the utmost importance that you have trained properly before departure.
– Those who have not exercised before departure should exercise two hours a day in space. It happens that some come back fitter than when they left, says Maurice.
Loses a liter of blood
One of the reasons why the condition becomes worse is that you are forced to lose a liter of blood before departure. The reason for this is to prevent blood clots during the journey. And by depriving the body of blood, you prevent the blood from becoming too thick.
“You get stuck in the toilet”
During a space flight, there is a high risk of stomach problems, such as diarrhoea. And when it comes to going to the toilet, the routine is to fasten yourself to the toilet with a Velcro strap over your thighs. A vacuum suction then sucks out the urine and faeces.
– It makes a lot of noise and can be a disturbance if you are there for a long time. It sounds like just the one, explains Maurice Westerlund.
After you urinate, the urine is saved and turned into water that you can then drink when you are in the space capsule.
– It’s tight tight tight. There must be no free moisture or any liquid in these stations. You are very careful about it, explains Maurice.
That’s why you eat vacuum-packed food, drink soups and other things with a straw, so that you don’t spill anywhere. You often have velcro straps on forks and knives.
– We talk a lot about physical ailments, but what happens in the head during a space flight?
– Yes, we probably simply have to see this space project as our next victory. This is the continuation of the rest of our generation. Hopefully there are probably some children who will go to March and create a habitat. Today we see the earth as our only part in the world. But there is certainly more life out there, concludes Maurice Westerlund.