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October 2, 2004: Disaster in Space - Dr. Tess Gerritsen
Dr. Tess Gerritsen, physician and bestselling author, delves into the harrowing possibilities of medical and biological crises aboard spacecraft, drawing from her extensive research and background in both medicine and fiction. She outlines real-world vulnerabilities faced by astronauts during extended space missions, including immune suppression, pathogen mutation in microgravity, and the unpredictable effects of space radiation on human biology. Gerritsen discusses the inspiration behind her medical thriller Gravity, connecting the narrative's central premise - a deadly outbreak aboard an orbiting space lab - to existing gaps in NASA's protocols for biohazard containment and emergency response. She also examines historical close calls in space exploration, from Apollo to Mir, and how they inform speculative scenarios about what could go catastrophically wrong on future missions to Mars or beyond. She highlights the convergence of cutting-edge biotechnology and the space race, warning of ethical blind spots and the potential for accidental or engineered pandemics in orbit.
Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago