# Would I survive a trip to the moon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628 "2015-01-22T22:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/1 "2015-01-22T22:41:21Z")
I’m a very healthy 44-year old male who has had absolutely no astronaut training. For whatever reason, let’s say that NASA decided that they wanted me to jump on a rocket headed to the moon. I would merely be a spectator, although they do want me to take a little Armstrong-like walk while I’m there. Would I survive? If so, would I have any other temporary or permanent health issues? ---
**Author:** ![dunkleosteus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkleosteus/32/9331_2.png) [@dunkleosteus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dunkleosteus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/2 "2015-01-22T22:45:26Z")
From what I’ve heard, it’s not actually very strenuous to travel in space / go to the moon. Being in orbit might be rough, given the micro-gravity. I seem to remember an article saying that most senior citizens would be fit enough for space travel. ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/3 "2015-01-22T22:50:46Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’m a very healthy 44-year old male who has had absolutely no astronaut training. For whatever reason, let’s say that NASA decided that they wanted me to jump on a rocket headed to the moon. I would merely be a spectator, although they do want me to take a little Armstrong-like walk while I’m there. Would I survive? If so, would I have any other temporary or permanent health issues? Do you mean, could your body handle it? Probably. Your body’s put under a bit of stress on the acceleration of takeoff and landing, but a healthy 44 year old should be able to handle 5 g’s. The weightlessness won’t hurt you while in space, although you might get some nausea for a day or so. Upon coming home you’ll be weak for a bit, but you’ll recover your strength within a couple weeks (assuming this is an Apollo style mission, i.e. gone for a week or so). The increased radiation load might increase your chance of developing cataracts down the road, but you won’t see anything immediately. I’d be more worried about: could two competent astronauts fly an Apollo spacecraft with a third just doing nothing, or maybe following very simple orders? I would think so, but I don’t know enough about the systems to say for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/4 "2015-01-22T23:41:40Z")
> [@dunkleosteus](#): > > From what I’ve heard, it’s not actually very strenuous to travel in space / go to the moon. Being in orbit might be rough, given the micro-gravity. I seem to remember an article saying that most senior citizens would be fit enough for space travel. Former Senator and astronaut [John Glenn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn) flew in the space shuttle at age 77. Ok, so he is a former Marine Corps aviator and NASA astronaut. [Christa McAuliffe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christa_McAuliffe) was a teacher, and trained to fly aboard the Challenger. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/5 "2015-01-22T23:44:11Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > The increased radiation load might increase your chance of developing cataracts down the road, but you won’t see anything immediately. …in a manner of speaking. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/6 "2015-01-23T00:59:51Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > could two competent astronauts fly an Apollo spacecraft with a third just doing nothing Any modern moon mission could - and probably would - be set up to require little or no input from anyone on board. I’d expect that a very modest level of health and fitness would be sufficient for survival. No real reason a 50-lbs-overweight couch potato wouldn’t make it. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/7 "2015-01-23T08:43:54Z")
The shuttle was a relatively gentle ride. Crews on the Saturn V were subjected to 12Gs briefly during staging when the 2nd stage lit off. I don’t think anyone knows what sort of profile an Orion lunar mission is going to follow, but dead crewmembers are bad juju. So, before they put Joe civilian on a moon rocket, they’d probably, besides a flight physical, wire him up and put him on a man-rated centerfuge before they clear him for a flight. Oh, and part of the deal with John Glenn’s shuttle flight was that they had VERY complete records of his medical condition before and after his Mercury flight. I’m sure they gave him thorough physicals before and after his shuttle flight. He went as a medical test subject, it was more than just a junket for a powerful and popular senator who chaired the senate armed services committee and flew 3 orbital solo mission 30 or so years previously. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/8 "2015-01-23T18:36:26Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’m a very healthy 44-year old male who has had absolutely no astronaut training. For whatever reason, let’s say that NASA decided that they wanted me to jump on a rocket headed to the moon. Inside or outside the rocket? > [@](#): > > I would merely be a spectator, although they do want me to take a little Armstrong-like walk while I’m there. With or without a space suit? > [@](#): > > Would I survive?If so, would I have any other temporary or permanent health issues? Too little info to tell 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/9 "2015-01-23T19:28:17Z")
There is a better question to consider: Could you mentally handle being in a tiny room out in space for that long? I don’t the average person could do it. ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/10 "2015-01-23T20:47:27Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > There is a better question to consider: Could you mentally handle being in a tiny room out in space for that long? > > I don’t the average person could do it. For a week? Absolutely. And it’s not like the Apollo spacecraft were that tiny: the astronauts would move around, they weren’t permanently strapped in to their seats like earlier astronauts were. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/11 "2015-01-23T21:39:04Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > (…John Glenn…) He went as a medical test subject, it was more than just a junket for a powerful and popular senator who chaired the senate armed services committee and flew 3 orbital solo mission 30 or so years previously. My understanding is that he walked into the NASA administrator’s office and said he’d like to go back into space. The doors opened magically to make it happen. He underwent the training, etc., of course, and the medical tests were real, but the whole thing was mostly an excuse for a high-profile PR mission. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/12 "2015-01-25T03:46:29Z")
In terms of only the stresses put upon the human body, the only concerns I can see for the Apollo missions were: [ul] [li]Weightlessness - Some people get incapacitatingly bad motion sickness during it (a couple of the Apollo guys did anyway).[/li] [li]G forces - Launch acceleration and re-entry deceleration can be quite high, but not enough to kill you. Probably just make you sick or blackout if not prepared.[/li] [li]Cabin environment - Having to breathe low pressure, pure oxygen for a week or so again might cause sickness without being accustomed to it.[/li] [li]Claustrophobia - Obviously you couldn’t be sensitive to closed spaces on any Moon mission.[/li][/ul] So I bet that you could have pulled 75%+ of the young, healthy people off the street to go on a Moon mission and they’d survive. Provided nothing went wrong of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/13 "2015-01-25T16:33:56Z")
Thanks. For some reason I remember some science teacher mentioning that astronauts must train for years to get their bodies prepared to handle the rigors of a launch and outer space. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/14 "2015-01-25T18:31:45Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’m a very healthy 44-year old male who has had absolutely no astronaut training. For whatever reason, let’s say that NASA decided that they wanted me to jump on a rocket headed to the moon. I would merely be a spectator, although they do want me to take a little Armstrong-like walk while I’m there. Would I survive? If so, would I have any other temporary or permanent health issues? No, you would die. And we would feed your body to the Zombie Moon Gorillas. I’m feelin all “50s Drive-In” today. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/15 "2015-01-25T18:38:18Z")
> [@dunkleosteus](#): > > From what I’ve heard, it’s not actually very strenuous to travel in space / go to the moon. Being in orbit might be rough, given the micro-gravity. I seem to remember an article saying that most senior citizens would be fit enough for space travel. The STS and Soyuz yes. The Mercury and Apollo and especially Gemini capsules saw astronauts facing high g’s at launch and reentry. As it was, all of the men who rode them were people with Fighter Jet experience\*, so not an issue. Moonwalks were actually quite strenous and at least of the astronauts suffered from stress induced arrythmiyas, David Scott and Jim Irwin most notably. \*Yes[that included Harrison Schmitt](http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2199/1) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-survive-a-trip-to-the-moon/710628/16 "2015-01-25T23:43:02Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > My understanding is that he walked into the NASA administrator’s office and said he’d like to go back into space. The doors opened magically to make it happen. He underwent the training, etc., of course, and the medical tests were real, but the whole thing was mostly an excuse for a high-profile PR mission. Well, I said it was more than just a junket, not that there were no PR aspects to taking Glenn along at all. Or that strings were yanked to get him on a shuttle.