Astronauts: Both Familiar and Mysterious to the Average Person Before officially embarking on missions in the sky, astronauts must comply with extremely strict rules.
For ordinary people, astronauts can only be seen through a TV screen. It is quite challenging to know, interact with, or understand the true daily lives of astronauts, even before and during their missions to “conquer space.”
In reality, every astronaut undergoes rigorous technical and psychological training. After all, space travel is not a trivial matter; leaving Earth for space can result in the loss of precious life if one is not careful.
During a recruitment drive for astronauts to the Moon by NASA, they revealed some quite stringent requirements, such as:
- Applicants must have at least a master’s degree in a STEM field, such as biology, physics, computer science, or mathematics;
- Must have professional flying experience, with at least 1,000 pilot-in-command hours in jets or 1,500 hours in commercial aircraft;
- Must have an excellent physical foundation, such as 20/20 vision, blood pressure not exceeding 140/90, and completion of military-style diving and survival training…
NASA astronaut positions certainly have very strict standards. (Photo: NASA).
This is just the initial selection criteria. Those who pass may continue to undergo further training and screening to meet job requirements over the long term.
It is clear that the environment in space is extremely harsh, which is why astronauts always undergo multiple rounds of selection and training, facing a series of tests and physical examinations.
One of these includes special requirements regarding appearance, such as fingernails. While current technological advancements have allowed people to bypass this step, in the past, all astronauts were required to “pull” their fingernails before actually going into space.
Some believe this regulation was established because the pressure in space differs from that on Earth, which means astronauts’ fingernails may not withstand the stress during growth. Additionally, blood may also fail to circulate effectively for this reason, thus all fingernails were removed.
In the past, astronauts had to “pull” their fingernails before actually going into space.
Others argue that because they must live in space for extended periods, their fingernails would grow longer. If fingernails grow too quickly, affecting their suits and equipment, they would need to trim them. However, the trimmed pieces can easily float around, potentially impacting the spacecraft’s instruments.
We all know that every operation in space requires precise calculations to ensure absolute accuracy. If nail clippings float around and land on sensitive equipment, they can cause scratches, and in more severe cases, damage that leads to serious consequences. Therefore, astronauts would remove all their fingernails before ascending into space.
Astronauts will remove all fingernails before going into space.
Regarding this issue, scientists have proposed several reasons:
First, to ensure maximum safety and health, astronauts undergo a series of air pressure tests before ascending; this is the environment they can endure.
Second, even if fingernails were to fall out directly, they would still grow back, as some astronauts need to work continuously in space for over a year. If they worry that the operation of the spacecraft will be affected by nail issues, it would hinder their work.
Moreover, space exploration is very serious; there can be no errors in many areas, and the safety of astronauts must also be considered. Because the environment in space is vastly different from that on Earth, not only do fingernails grow quickly, but hair does as well.
If fingernails grow rapidly in space, under the pressure of a vacuum, they might fall out, which could also cause significant injury to astronauts.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield once shared: “They will float everywhere and won’t fall to the ground, so you can’t sweep them away. Sometimes they float into your eyes or even enter your airway.”
Indeed, trimmed nails can become space debris, which cannot be adequately managed at that time. They move freely in a zero-gravity environment and can easily get caught in the spacecraft’s crucial equipment, potentially causing damage.
Sometimes, an accident caused by fingernails can escalate into a major incident. In severe cases, it could even endanger the lives of astronauts.
Therefore, the first step is to prevent excessive growth, which is why astronauts ultimately remove their fingernails.
Today, astronauts now have a new way to handle fingernails, no longer needing to pull them out each time they go into space.
Fortunately, with advancements in science and technology, astronauts now have a new way to manage their fingernails, no longer needing to remove them, making the requirements less stringent than before.
